This video showcases the "Student Construction Workshop" (Schulabauwerkstatt) at Leing Gymnasium, a career preparatory seminar where 17-year-olds undertake real-world building projects. This specific project involved constructing a 5x15 meter timber hall on school grounds to house future crafting endeavors, including a traditional Danube ship. The students managed the entire process from initial planning and CAD design, through material procurement (including salvaging old roofing tiles and felling spruce trees for beams), to the prefabrication of modular wall and roof components at an off-site camp. The video highlights the students' hands-on learning of traditional timber construction techniques, their problem-solving during challenges like adverse weather, and the precision that enabled the rapid and successful on-site assembly of the "red hall," culminating in a proud display for the school community.
The "Student Construction Workshop": Building a School Hall
0:00:10Introduction to the "Student Construction Workshop": A unique career preparatory seminar at Leing Gymnasium where 17-year-olds learn by simulating a small construction company, previously restoring sections of the Ulm fortress.
0:01:17New Challenge: Building a School Hall: The seminar's new project for 2025 was the construction of a large (5m wide, 15m long) timber hall on school grounds to serve as a workshop for future crafting projects, like a traditional Danube ship.
0:01:46Detailed Planning and Traditional Techniques: Students developed detailed executable plans using CAD, supported by a carpenter friend. The project emphasized traditional timber construction methods, influenced by insights from a student exchange in Sweden.
0:02:11Resourceful Material Procurement: Materials were secured through a partnership with the society for preserving the Ulm fortress; students performed maintenance work at Fort Albec in exchange for materials, and felled spruce trees on fortress grounds for custom-sawn beams.
0:03:09Reusing Building Materials: Approximately 1,900 roofing tiles were salvaged, cleaned, and transported from a demolished hut at Fort Albec, demonstrating sustainable practices.
0:03:37Site Preparation: Students prepared the school site by leveling it with a borrowed excavator and installing a carefully compacted gravel base, which helped them visualize the hall's true scale.
0:03:59Intensive Fabrication During Construction Week: A six-day tent camp at Fort Albec became the workshop, where students devoted themselves to manufacturing hall components, taking responsibility for the camp's success and communal meals.
0:04:30Precision Work and Quality Control: CAD plans guided the meticulous marking of wood, and students quickly learned the importance of double-checking dimensions for quality control.
0:05:04Hands-on Tool Training: Students were trained to use various tools, including handheld circular saws and a specialized chain mortiser for creating tenon holes, applying traditional carpentry techniques.
0:05:36Modular Prefabrication: The hall was designed as eight exterior wall modules (5m long, 2.4m high), prefabricated at Fort Albec like a kit for precise on-site assembly.
0:06:29Exterior Cladding and Design Elements: Exterior cladding involved custom-cut boards and wooden strips, with window frames designed inspired by Swedish architectural styles.
0:07:07Overcoming Weather Challenges: The team faced heavy rain, which flooded tents and necessitated moving some fabrication and painting work (24 shutters and two doors) indoors.
0:07:44Sustainable Roof Structure: Twenty-four roof trusses were assembled by a specialized crew using reclaimed beams, highlighting the efficiency and quality benefits of specialization.
0:08:18Efficient Transport and Assembly: On the sixth day, prefabricated modules and roof trusses were transported to the school, where a loading crane precisely placed and bolted the components onto prepared concrete blocks.
0:10:05Roof Battening and Safety: Students installed 400m of roofing battens, emphasizing personal safety and assessing their abilities on the construction site.
0:10:31Final Finishing Touches: During the subsequent school days, students completed the challenging task of roofing with five tons of tiles and painting the exterior walls with "fall red" paint imported from Sweden, achieving the desired aesthetic.
0:11:28Successful Completion and Celebration: The hall was largely finished in time for the school festival, surprising other community members with its rapid construction. Final tasks were completed in small groups, concluding with a celebratory party in the new "red hall."
0:12:15Positive Educational Impact: The instructor expressed immense pride in the students' achievements, describing the workshops as a rewarding and meaningful change from everyday academic work.