John thanked the staff of the district administration’s property management department, as well as the planners and tradespeople, for their work to date. He also highlighted the support the project has received from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Education, the town of St. Ingbert and the relevant political bodies.
As an inter-municipal project, it received funding of 1 million euros from the Ministry of the Interior. Minister Jost: “Modern physical education requires modern infrastructure. By replacing the existing three-court sports hall at the St. Ingbert-Rohrbach Comprehensive School with a new building, we are creating the ideal conditions to promote pupils’ health and enjoyment of physical activity in the long term. By constructing this hall for school and club sports, old halls in need of refurbishment can be replaced with a new building that is significantly more energy-efficient and cost-effective. “I am delighted that we have been able to support the Saarpfalz district with a needs-based grant for this important project. In doing so, we are making a significant contribution to improving school facilities and promoting sport in the region.”
Further funding will be available over the coming years from the ‘Startchancen’ programme. It will be used partly for the new building and partly for the existing premises. The Saarpfalz district is bearing the bulk of the construction project’s costs of 22.5 million. District Administrator Frank John: “Investments in education are always investments in the future. The new school building meets the requirements of the school’s new educational concept as an integrated all-day school. With the three-court sports hall, we are not only creating a modern facility for school sports, but also a venue that will benefit club sports and, consequently, the entire local community.”
The next stage of work on the new school building will focus on the façade. The roof will be waterproofed and the first window units fitted. The outer shell of the sports hall has also been completed. Work on the interior there has already begun. Both buildings are being constructed using a hybrid construction method. The parts of the building in contact with the ground, as well as the plant rooms, are being constructed using solid masonry, whilst all other parts are being built using timber construction methods.
“The new building will strengthen the Rohrbach school site and prepare it for the future. A modern school and a three-court sports hall will boost the site’s appeal whilst also creating new opportunities for sport. I am particularly pleased that the hall will also be available to our local clubs. This will create a space from which both the school and the local community will benefit equally,” said Mayor Nadine Backes.
The new school building will be divided into, amongst other things, several group rooms and open-plan learning areas at . Education Minister Christine Streichert-Clivot said: “With this new building, we are creating the physical conditions in Rohrbach for a school that supports children and young people on an individual basis, focuses on their strengths and offers them good opportunities within an all-day programme. That is precisely what the ‘Startchancen’ programme is all about: specifically strengthening schools where the challenges are greatest and providing them with additional opportunities to deliver a good education. After all, educational equity and educational quality go hand in hand. Every child should be able to acquire basic skills with confidence, develop their talents and forge their own path, regardless of their background. This requires sound educational approaches – and spaces in which these can be put into practice.”
The new buildings meet modern standards for accessibility and sustainability. Access to the new school building, the link to the existing building and access to the sports hall are all barrier-free. The new school building will also have a lift serving all four floors.
The roofs of the sports hall and the new school building will be fitted with green roofs, and the roof of the new school building will be fitted with a solar panel system. In addition, rainwater from the roof surfaces will be collected in a cistern and used for flushing toilets and watering the outdoor areas. The energy concept provides for a shared heating supply for the new school building, the sports hall and the existing building. The existing gas heating system will be dismantled and replaced by a pellet heating system with a heat pump and a solar panel system.
District Administrator Frank John thanked everyone involved for ensuring that the construction work is on schedule and within budget, and indicated that the buildings are expected to be handed over to the school in the summer of 2027.