Architect: SKARDELLI György
The school complex consists of three units; besides the classroom wing and the administration wing a sports hall has been built, which can operate independently. One of the important aims of the design was the fullest possible integration of the immediate environment with the beautiful panorama of the Mecsek Mountain and the landscaped areas around the building into the activities of the school.
The six-grade grammar school and its sports hall are located in the north-eastern part of Pécs. The neighbourhood of the corner plot is built up mostly with detached single-family houses. The ground slopes rather steeply towards the southwest, offering a beautiful view to the Mecsek Mountains. The atmosphere of the residential streets, the modest size of the houses and the network of green areas around the houses provided a favourable location for the school. The school complex consists of three units: a sports hall, an administration wing connected to it and a classroom wing at right angles to the former. First the sports hall had been built which could operate independently, the adjoining school wings were constructed a few years later.
A tree-lined sidewalk leads to the main entrance of the grammar school along Dobó István Street, clearly highlighting the significance of the street. The sidewalk widens into an oblong square: at the upper part there is an entrance to the sports hall, the main entrance of the grammar school opens from the lower part of the square. The entrance hall of the school forms a long aula with a gallery. From here, the classrooms open in three blocks, on two floors, divided by internal gardens facing the Mecsek Mountains. The eastern side of the building opens up almost completely to the landscaped courtyard, with the science lecture room located at the end of the wing. This spatial arrangement and the connection of the blocks create a large community area with a gallery, visually connected to the outdoor landscaped courtyard. The classroom units open from vestibules recessed from the large central interior space. At the entrance of the aula, there is a spiral staircase leading up to the first floor, connecting the classroom wing with the administration wing. The ground floor of the latter accommodates the functions indispensable for running the facility: the reception, a buffet, a small library with reading room, store-rooms and a workshop. The teachers’ lounge, the administrative offices and other rooms located on the first floor open from the corridor connected to the gallery. The sports hall has its own entrance from the street and it can be completely separated from the school. It is connected to the administrative wing by a two-storey block; there are changing rooms for the students on the ground floor, changing rooms for the teachers on the first floor and mechanical installations in its attic. The sports hall accommodates an international standard handball court and there is a stepped grandstand with fixed seats along its northern side. The students can use the hall for different sports activities even out of school-time and it also can be rented to provide a source of income for the school. The inner courtyard formed by the U-shaped arrangement of the three wings is landscaped. The paved schoolyard connects to a circular podium-area suitable for open-air events, surrounded by a curved, stepped grandstand. In the southern, lower part of the plot, there is an open-air sports area adjusted to the terrain, with a handball court, a basketball court, a running course and athletics facilities.
The brick building has been built with reinforced concrete structure and it is uniformly clad with yellow sand lime bricks from Barcs, which appear in the interior communal areas of the classroom wing as well. There is metal sheet roofing on the timber roof structures. Besides the yellow brick, the interiors are dominated by white plaster and natural colour wood.
Location: Pécs, Dobó István utca 93. Built: 1999, 2002 Architect: SKARDELLI György Associate architects: DUDÁS István, GÁSPÁR László, LÁZÁR Ferenc, SZÁSZNÉ KIRÁLY Katalin Interior architect: PLACHTOVICS Vilmos Landscape architect: HAVASSY Gabriella Area: 4350 m2
