Back in 2000, there was a two-stage design competition for an extension to the Wilhelm-Hittorf-Gymnasium, from which KRESINGS emerged as the winner, but which was never implemented. Now the school urgently needed more space as part of the G9 expansion. After 20 years, KRESINGS was therefore commissioned to adapt and implement the winning design and to design a new school forum. In addition to the competition win from 20 years ago, the updated design also incorporates the results of a feasibility study by the Friends of the Hittorf Forum - Space for New Things.

The guiding principle of the concept is to meet the special requirements of school use and assembly facilities with a differentiated, yet highly functional building structure. The result is an independent, unmistakable building block as an addition to and new focal point of the heterogeneous environment of the Wilhelm-Hittorf-Gymnasium am Wasserturm.

The new building is free-standing, so the references between the different height levels of the site and the ventilation of the schoolyard are retained. A connection to the existing building is established via an open connecting bridge, among other things. The basic cubic shape of the new building forms a clearly defined main entrance to the school. A spacious foyer mediates between the uses of the school and events in the newly created forum (both school and external). The centerpiece of the cubic new building is a centrally cut atrium that provides natural lighting for the interior rooms. An open staircase in the foyer provides access to the building and connects the different levels. A passenger elevator also provides barrier-free access to the building. All common rooms are arranged along the exterior façades, while the learning zones are directly connected to the interior atrium. They are therefore naturally lit and ventilated.

The overarching façade concept is dominated by the theme of vertical building greenery. The building is enclosed on all levels by an external escape balcony. The balconies are secured against falling by a metal wire skin that serves as a climbing aid for climbing plants.