Daycare and youth center Regenbogenwald

Darmstadt
Daycare and youth center Regenbogenwald

structural engineering, sustainability  Services

blrm Architekt*innen GmbH  Architect

Regenbogenwald children's and youth center made from reused elements

Project

Due to the necessary expansion of the social infrastructure in Darmstadt's Verlegerviertel district, a new replacement building is being planned on the site of the previous daycare center. The Regenbogenwald children's and youth center offers enough space for children and young people of different ages on three floors, which are stepped upwards, and several sports and play areas. The building project focuses on circular construction. To this end, materials from the existing building are reused as well as used building products and components from various demolition projects in Darmstadt and Stuttgart. True to the principle of 'form follows availability', the design is always adapted to the dimensions and properties of the available components.

Planned timber frame construction with reused components, including the stair tower from the demolition of the Breuninger parking garage in Stuttgart

Reuse of load-bearing steel components
The reuse of load-bearing components requires a new design approach: load-bearing structures must be aligned with the geometry and load-bearing capacity of a specified component inventory. The optimization resulted in a structural grid of 3.75 m x 4.20 m, which enables the targeted use of reuse profiles in the roof structure. At the same time, the support cuts were planned in coordination with the demolition company, taking into account maximum transport lengths and additional tolerances for cutting and component processing.

Project data

Client Jugendamt der Wissenschaftsstadt Darmstadt

Architect blrm Architekt*innen GmbH

Finalization 2027

Awards Green Concept Award „Winner“ 2025