Red Cross strengthens its centre with the new Kanti

A cantonal school for around 880 pupils is to be built near Rotkreuz railway station by 2031. The winning design by Gigon Guyer links the 200-million-franc new building with the ongoing development of the town centre and increases the planning pressure on the surrounding area.

Rotkreuz is set to gain an educational building that will have an impact on local development far beyond the scope of school operations. For the new cantonal school near the railway station, the Canton of Zug has selected the ‘discentia’ project by Gigon Guyer Partner Architects and Ghisleni Partner. The new building is designed to accommodate 44 classes and around 880 pupils; construction costs are currently estimated at around 200 million Swiss francs.

This will transform the current temporary premises in Suurstoffi into a long-term, significant site. As things stand, construction is scheduled to begin at the end of 2028, with the school due to open in 2031. For Rotkreuz, this is not just a school project, but another building block in an area that is simultaneously being redeveloped around the railway station, Dorfmatt and the adjacent development sites to the south.

The school as an urban building block
The competition entry features a two-part building structure. A taller front block faces the centre and houses public facilities such as the assembly hall and sports halls, whilst the lower eastern section accommodates the classrooms. Plans also include a green roof terrace, spacious outdoor areas, unpaved surfaces and additional trees. It is precisely this mix that is relevant to property and location development: the building is not intended to stand alone, but rather to help shape public spaces and new route connections in a highly frequented location.

The canton explicitly incorporates the new building into its school space planning. This is driven by the ongoing population growth in the canton of Zug and the rising demand for secondary school places. The Rotkreuz Cantonal School has already commenced operations in the 2025/26 academic year and will be run on a temporary basis until the permanent building is ready for occupation.

Increased pressure for coordination in the
station areaFor project developers and authorities, the real news value lies in the overlap of several projects. Publicly available documents show that the new cantonal school is to be coordinated with the Dorfmatt town centre development, the plans in the vicinity of the station and other uses in the area. This places greater demands on open space, access and construction processes. Where schools, housing, transport and public facilities are being densified simultaneously, interfaces quickly become a key planning issue.

Architecturally, too, the project is not yet finalised. The jury commended the clear concept and the interplay between urban design, structural engineering and building services, but felt there was still scope for development in terms of the building’s external appearance. A detailed construction project will now be drawn up based on the competition entry, before the government is expected to apply to the Cantonal Council for the project loan, likely at the end of 2027 or the beginning of 2028. For Rotkreuz, this means one thing above all: with the cantonal school, the station area will gain a public anchor that will help shape the further development of the town centre.