“Gateway to the World” Now Open

The “Gateway to the World Education Centre” was opened today in Wilhelmsburg, in the presence of Hamburg’s First Mayor Olaf Scholz, Education Minister Ties Rabe, Chief Architect Prof. Jörn Walter, GMH (Hamburg Building Management) Director Ewald Rowohlt, and IBA Director Uli Hellweg. The centre brings the Helmut Schmidt Grammar School, the Elbinselschule (primary school), and the regional educational and guidance centre together under one roof, along with six other educational institutions including parenting classes and the Theater Am Strom. This is Hamburg's most ambitious educational project yet, and the centre is one of the most innovative educational establishments in Germany. A total of € 60 million has been invested.

The “Gateway to the World” is one of the key projects included in the “Elbe Islands Education Drive”, part of the International Building Exhibition IBA Hamburg, and also marks a milestone in the development of the district (Kirchdorf). It will fulfil the oft-cited need to bring schools more closely together with extra-curricular educational and guidance institutions, in a way that is conceptually and structurally pioneering.

Hamburg’s First Mayor, Olaf Scholz, said, “Today we are throwing open a gate – a ‘Gateway to the World’ – which will broaden the horizons of many men and women within Hamburg, and will offer them better opportunities for participation in society. This gateway will ensure that all who pass through it will have the world at their fingertips. The name 'Gateway to the World’ will remind many of the city's coat of arms. The open doors allude not only to the interchange of goods, but also to the meeting of minds, ideals, and ways of life. In terms of its thematic focus, the new ‘Gateway to the World’ is one of the most innovative educational establishments in Germany.”

According to Education Minister Ties Rabe, “The ‘Gateway to the World’ offers excellent prospects. It sets the course for the future of children and young people from the Elbe islands. It is founded on clever ideas and exemplary facilities that will help everyone from this district of Hamburg to have a positive outlook – children and young people will benefit in their schools, and adults will be able to avail themselves of the vast range of programmes offered by the centre’s collaborators. The future users of the centre will drive its success: inquisitive students, great teachers, and committed Wilhelmsburg citizens.”

Chief Architect Prof. Jörn Walter noted, “The ‘Gateway to the World’ is testament not only to the educational and ecological renovation of the school, but above all to the desire for it to be integrated into its social and urban environment. Schools should not be isolated from their immediate neighbourhood; rather, they should be drivers of social change. With this in mind, the “Elbe Islands Education Drive”, with its countless stakeholders, has gained a model building that can really make strides towards Wilhelmsburg's goal of providing an attractive range of schools."

Ewald Rowohlt, Director of GMH, said, “The ‘Gateway to the World Education Centre’ is a flagship project for us. Its new buildings and renovations, which cover three Hamburg schools, make it the Senate’s largest school building project. Moreover, the 'Gateway to the World' demonstrates how the district's schools can evolve in an integrated way. The site combines different academic and extra-curricular facilities, thus showcasing innovative educational, structural, and ecological concepts. Numerous participants from the district and the wider city have worked together towards this goal from the planning phase right through to the inauguration today."

Uli Hellweg, Director of the IBA Hamburg, explained, “The ‘Gateway to the World’ is the largest new construction project to take place as part of the ‘Elbe Islands Education Drive’, under the IBA Hamburg, and is at the same time an undertaking that is indicative of a new understanding of architecture for community-oriented educational buildings. The 'Gateway to the World' is an innovative district hub, bringing together schools, nurseries, adult education facilities, and guidance services. It also displays originality as an educational centre in a number of different respects: people of all age groups and academic backgrounds will be able to avail themselves of opportunities for lifelong learning and cultural exchange here. The building’s designation as a Passive House means that it is setting new standards in the field of school building design, while also offering its pupils the chance to learn about the careful use of resources at a young age.”

The educational concept of an open school where cultural diversity and environmental awareness are considered alongside modern performance requirements when setting out the design has meant that this IBA Hamburg project has had to overcome particular challenges. The Hamburg-based firm of architects bof, which was commissioned together with the landscape architects Breimann & Brunn, following their selection from the entrants to a Europe-wide competition, has risen to the occasion with a striking design for both the overall complex and many of its details.

Planning the ”Gateway to the World Education Centre” began in 2006, and building work started in autumn 2010. The complex (new construction and converted existing buildings) has a gross floor space of 22,645 square metres, on a site of 53,700 square metres.

The lead partners are Hamburg School Building (Ministry of Finance), Ministry of Education and Training, Ministry of Urban Development and Environment, Ministry of Work, Social Affairs, Family and Integration, Ministry of Culture, Hamburg-Mitte District Authority, GMH Hamburg Building Management, and the IBA Hamburg.

The “Gateway to the World” is a remarkable project in terms of the unusual way in which it has been developed, the thorough participation of its future users, and the striking features of its construction. The complex is home to an environmental centre for classes 0 to 6, a well- equipped theatre area, a self-learning centre with a “book town”, an exercise hall with a climbing wall, a roof terrace laid out as a playground (complete with a large slide), a prayer room, and, to top it all, a mini-planetarium which serves as a virtual geo-workshop for the region.

An overview of the complex:

-       Educational facilities for the Helmut Schmidt Grammar School, the Elbinselschule (primary school), and the regional educational and guidance centre. (A total of around 1500 pupils, in addition to 125 school employees.)

-       The Gatehouse (multi-purpose centre) with an auditorium; prep and teaching kitchen; music, art, and theatre rooms; and a café for parents. These are used by the following organisations within the district:

O Wilhelmsburg parenting classes / Social Environment Department

O Inselmütter/BI – Elbe Islands Work and Integration

O Hamburg Further Education College

O Theater am Strom

O verikom – Association for Intercultural Communication and Integration

O Hamburg Further Education Service and Guidance

O Koppelstieg Daycare Centre (ASB)

-       Science facilities: Environmental centre for classes 0 to 6 and laboratory facilities for secondary school pupils (Science Centre).

-       Library facilities: Self-learning centre and “book town” (for primary school classes)

-       Sports halls, sports and games courts, outdoor sports facilities

-       Virtual geo-workshop: Mini-planetarium for school projects in all subjects and teacher training

-       School & Business Centre for careers guidance and student companies (renovations to the existing buildings will be carried out for this purpose until autumn 2013).

You can also find information on the “Gateway to the World” on the internet, at www.iba-hamburg.de/tor-zur-welt.

 For further queries please contact:Ministry of Education and Training, Press Department, Tel.: 040 / 4 28 63 – 2003, email: pressestelle@bsb.hamburg.de, internet: www.hamburg.de/bsb

IBA Hamburg GmbH, Rainer Müller, Head of the Press Department, Tel.:040 / 226 227 335, email: rainer.mueller@iba-hamburg.de, internet: www.iba-hamburg.de