District invests 1.2 million euros in extension to Valentin primary school

The construction work to extend Valentin Primary School in Helsen has been completed. Over the past 12 months, the school's existing pavilion has been extended, creating two new classrooms and functional areas. The district invested around 1.2 million euros in the project. The extension has now been inaugurated.

Addition of a storey to the existing pavilion
Following the complete refurbishment of the school between 2016 and 2018, work began at the beginning of March last year on adding a storey to the existing single-storey pavilion at Valentin Primary School. When the school was built around 25 years ago, the foundations and building structure were already dimensioned in such a way that any necessary extension could be realised without any additional structural work. The expansion of the premises had become necessary in particular due to the tight space situation in recent years.

For the extension, the existing gabled roof construction of the pavilion was completely removed and the east façade demolished in order to extend the corridor and the collection room on the ground floor accordingly. On the upper floor, the extension benefited the corridor and cloakroom area. Access to the two newly created 60 square metre classrooms on the upper floor is via a modern staircase. A steel staircase construction attached to the rear of the building serves as a second escape and rescue route. The equipment, interior fittings and design are modelled on the main building.

Generating electricity through photovoltaics
The roofs of the primary school were also equipped with photovoltaic systems in cooperation with Energie Waldeck-Frankenberg. One - equipped with an energy storage system - is intended for the school's own electricity consumption; the other is to be used for full feed-in to the energy grid.

During the remodelling, some of the seven school classes were taught in classroom containers on the school grounds. They have now been able to return to the newly designed and spacious new premises. In the course of the construction work, all rooms were also equipped with modern media technology. There are currently 142 pupils at Valentin Primary School.

District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst emphasised in his welcoming address at the handover of the keys that the extension not only takes into account the increased need for space due to rising pupil numbers. It also improved the conditions for the compulsory all-day programme, which is already being implemented at Valentin Primary School. "Above all, the children should feel comfortable in an educational institution that they actually regard as their school" and that is clearly the case here in Helsen. The extension to Valentin Primary School is a fine example of how the realisation of educational requirements, future-oriented structural equipment and satisfied schoolchildren who like their "second home" primary school can be combined.

Keywords:

Schools and Education Department Building Management Department Schools in the district