School in a green area

The new building of the Theodor Heuglin School in Ditzingen: The facade is designed as a mullion-and-transom construction with floor-to-ceiling glazing and all-round escape balconies. To ensure that the building does not appear too massive when the sun protection is lowered, textile ZIP screens were chosen that harmonise with the colour of the surroundings.

Silent ZIP screen drives from GEIGER ensure a quiet and friendly learning atmosphere at the completely renovated Theodor Heuglin School.

On a hilltop, a new building complex stands out between old lime trees and open fields. At the Theodor Heuglin School, around 630 pupils are prepared for their future life. Light textile hangings in bright shades of green and grey characterise the facade concept - easily operated and intelligently controlled by the SOLIDline EasyScreen sun protection drives from GEIGER.

Theodor Heuglin, who came from Ditzingen near Stuttgart, has achieved a great deal. In the middle of the 19th century, he travelled through Africa and the polar region and explored the bird and animal world there. Openness, curiosity and courage are also encouraged at the community school named after him. This is evident in the fresh look of the building complex. The primary school and the sports hall have been renovated and a new building has been added for the lower secondary school.

Protection system in fresh colours

"The facade consists largely of floor-to-ceiling wood-aluminium windows in a filigree mullion-transom construction. This creates a transparent transition between inside and outside," explains Søren Rafn from the architectural office Glück + Partner. "The all-round escape balconies give the building additional lightness with their slender exterior supports. This impression is underlined by the harmonizing colour scheme of the light sun protection screens."

The textile hangings are made of 0.45 mm thin composite fabric with fine pores for micro-ventilation. From the inside they are slightly transparent, from the outside they provide reliable privacy and sun protection. They reduce solar heat gain by up to 97% via reflection, transmission and absorption. The selected colours - bamboo, anise and pebble - match the natural surroundings and underline the lively character of the school.

Silent drives for ZIP screens

BeThe 136 ZIP screens are operated with the nearly silent SOLIDline EasyScreen electric motors from GEIGER. "The drive is maintenance-free, consumes little energy and is very easy to handle," says Gert Leder, Account Manager at the specialist for sun protection drives. "The intelligent electronics check the upper and lower end positions every 50 cycles, readjust them automatically and protect the hanging from damage caused by freezing, obstacles or wind loads."

Installed in a barely visible protective box at the top edge of the window, the 20 Nm tubular motor with a diameter of 45 mm operates the ZIP screen. "Reliability, smooth running and comfort are essential for a good sun protection drive," says Andreas Paul, who installed the shading solution at the Theodor Heuglin School and connected it with a weather station for automatic operation.