Complete renovation of the Olten Cantonal School
Since 2016, the canton school has been given a comprehensive refresher with ongoing operations. The last work should be completed in summer 2022.
Work at the canton school in Olten has been going on for five years. Around 1000 pupils are taught at the school, which was completed in 1973 by the architects Marc Funk and Hans-Ulrich Fuhrimann. Construction work is ongoing in parallel. The architectural office Batimo AG Architekten SIA from Olten, which specializes in renovation strategies and has already renovated numerous school buildings, was commissioned.
"In order not to impair school operations too much, we have postponed the most noisy work to the school holidays according to specifications and in consultation with the school management," explains Dario Pagliari – he is responsible for construction management on the part of Batimo AG. The overall renovation includes a complete renovation of the building services and the facade, slight floor plan adjustments, the elimination of technical defects and an adjustment to the current standard in terms of fire protection, earthquake safety and energy efficiency.
Great attention is then also paid to improved energy efficiency: the modified building envelope, an optimized, natural ventilation concept as well as a geothermal heat pump system and the installation of a solar system reduce the energy consumption of the buildings by around 67 percent. The annual CO2 emissions are reduced by 732 tons, which translates into annual energy cost savings of around 200,000 francs.
The work was divided into different stages: "Right at the beginning we replaced the windows and carried out the insulation work both inside and on the flat roofs," explains Pagliari. The work on the indoor swimming pool, the cafeteria, the auditorium as well as the workrooms and gyms have already been completed. The premises are currently being adapted to the changing needs of school operations, as the site manager explains. A floor can be renovated in a three-month stage. The pupils of the corresponding classes are meanwhile being taught in the specially built temporary school facility with eight classrooms. There are a total of two school wings with ten and five floors each.
The last stage will include work on the surrounding area as well as the renovation of the sports fields and underground car park. Once all the work has been completed, the Olten Cantonal School should be fit for another 40 years of operation at its special location in the elevated forest area not far from the train station.