Starting in the 2026/2027 school year, primary school pupils will have a legal right to all-day care. This also has implications for the Eisgrubschule school in Mainz's old town. The main building was constructed between 1886 and 1888 and was last renovated between 2010 and 2012. During this time, a new school sports hall with an underground car park was also built adjacent to the main building. The annex, which dates from after 1900, currently houses five classrooms and meets school building safety requirements, but is in need of renovation or expansion. After several studies on the spatial expandability of the site and intensive consultations with the relevant authorities, it was concluded that a four-stream* school could not be accommodated on the site. Aware of this situation, the school authorities re-examined the necessary number of classes and determined that, due to the departure of many young families, 3.5 classes would be sufficient at the location. Based on these new specifications, GWM will examine and develop a concept for implementing a full 3.5 classes.

*Explanation: The "number of classes" at a school indicates how many classes of the same age group can be taught at the same time.

A discussion evening with the neighborhood took place at the beginning of December 2023. The minutes of the event can be found at the bottom of this page in the download area. A public information event for citizens on the site and building development concept can only take place after the revised preliminary drafts have been discussed with the school management and the school supervisory authority.

Mainz Old Town

The specific timeline for implementing the overall concept is currently still being worked out. Implementation is planned in four stages:

• In the first stage, a cafeteria will be installed in the existing space.  

Furthermore, the implementation of the following steps is currently being examined:

• In the second stage, a new two-story building with approximately 200 square meters of usable space could be constructed along Große Weißgasse. A multipurpose room could be located here at a later date.
• In the third stage, the attic of the annex could be raised and converted to accommodate additional classrooms.
• In the fourth stage, the space in the main building could then be redistributed. In order to be able to maintain school operations at the location despite the construction work, containers are to be set up as a temporary solution for the third stage.

Cannot be quantified at this time.

Based on various considerations that focused specifically on the interests of monument preservation and the inner-city environment, further aspects of the site were analyzed as part of variant studies and presented in volume studies and floor plans. Following further coordination meetings with the monument preservation authorities, additional designs are now being developed.

The planning team presented two initial preliminary design variants in August 2024. These were presented to the historic preservation authorities in September. At the meeting, the designs were discussed primarily in terms of their approvability. It was determined that the designs make good use of the property's potential in various ways. In further planning, historic preservation aspects must now be examined more closely.

The school board has also seen the designs. This provided an opportunity to discuss important points relating to the school authority's requirements. The findings from both meetings will now be incorporated into the designs in the short term. The results of this initial revision of the designs will be coordinated with the school management and the school supervisory authority as soon as they are available.

A site and building development concept is being drawn up. The next step is to obtain the approval of the school supervisory authority. Preliminary design planning is expected to take place in spring 2024.  

In order to be able to take into account the concerns of the relevant specialist departments regarding the location in the further planning steps, a coordination meeting between the departments took place in September 2023.

The planning contract was awarded as part of a public procurement procedure. The first on-site inspection took place together with the new planning team. Performance phase 1** (basic evaluation) has begun.

** Explanation: In construction projects, the individual stages of planning and implementation are divided into a total of nine "service phases."

Department VI – Construction, Monument Preservation, and Culture
Building Management Mainz (69)
Citadel, Building E
55131 Mainz
Phone +49 6131 12-4000
Email gwmstadt.mainzde