Rödernstraße daycare center is inaugurated
30.06.2023
The Rödernstraße daycare center in a central location in Offenbach was renovated in terms of energy efficiency and technology and a new building was added over the course of one and a half years. In addition, the location was adapted to current needs and the requirements of contemporary childcare. The daycare center has been back in operation since 2021. On Thursday, the time had finally come: the Rödernstraße daycare center was symbolically inaugurated.
Head of Planning and Construction Paul-Gerhard Weiß: "This building is modern, friendly and completely tailored to the needs of the children. I am happy that we can celebrate the inauguration today and it is wonderful to see how the new building is being filled with life by children and staff. The inauguration of the Rödernstraße daycare center today is also symbolic of three other modernization and new construction projects at Offenbach daycare centers that we completed in 2021 but have not yet been able to celebrate due to coronavirus. In addition to the Rödernstraße daycare center, these include the Brandenburger Straße daycare center, the Goethestraße daycare center and the Johannes-Morhart-Straße daycare center."
Mayor and head of the daycare center department Sabine Groß is also delighted: "The Rödernstraße daycare center with its large outdoor area is not only an architectural eye-catcher. The new building also provides more space and urgently needed daycare places. The daycare center in the heart of Offenbach now has room for one more group."
The construction project - partial demolition and new construction
The construction project at Rödernstraße 25 began in 2019 with the demolition of the outdated existing buildings from the 1960s and 1970s. Paul-Gerhard Weiß explains: "The existing main building and the extension no longer met the energy standards required today and, above all, did not meet the spatial requirements of a modern facility for early childhood education and care. The available space was too small and the space required per child could no longer be met." In addition, the concept and use of the facility also changed significantly over time. Sabine Groß adds: "Today, the daycare center is used all day and not just in the mornings as originally planned. At the same time, the increased demand for childcare places in the daycare center's catchment area had to be met." For this reason, the Rödernstrasse site was expanded from six to seven kindergarten groups with 25 children in each group, with a total of 175 kindergarten places, with a new two-storey building.
The new building has space for five kindergarten groups and was connected to the existing building and extension from 2006. This remained in operation with two kindergarten groups during the entire construction period. Minimal conversion and adaptation work was carried out on the building to connect it to the new building.
The implementation of the new building in timber panel construction enabled a short construction time, in particular a shorter shell construction phase. "This also reduced noise emissions during the construction period on site - in the middle of the city center. In addition, timber construction is a sustainable construction method with a renewable raw material, which means a positive overall energy balance," explains Paul-Gerhard Weiß.
The new building has also created the structural conditions for accessibility for people with limited mobility. The older existing building can now be accessed barrier-free via the main entrance to the new building. A ramp makes it easy to overcome the existing height difference between the new building and the entrance to the existing building without barriers.
For a period of one and a half years, while the new building was being erected, the four existing kindergarten groups moved temporarily from the old building to be demolished into an interim building on the outdoor kindergarten grounds at Rödernstraße 25. The interim building consisted of a total of 33 steel containers. Parallel to the construction of the new building, the outdoor facilities were also redesigned in two phases. Firstly in the northern area of the site, as this was not occupied by the interim building. Once the daycare center had moved into the new building, the interim building was dismantled and removed. This was followed by the second construction phase to redesign the outdoor area.
A total of around 6.5 million euros was spent on the refurbishment. As things stand, there are still funds available from the project budget for a green roof and the installation of a photovoltaic system. Implementation is planned for fall 2023.
The project was managed by the Office for Planning and Construction, Building Construction Management department, while OPG Offenbacher Projektentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH from the Stadtwerke Offenbach Group's Geschäftsfeld Immobilien (SOH) was responsible for project management and fiduciary project implementation.
Generous space available during operation
The Rödernstraße daycare center is one of the municipal daycare centers run by the Offenbach daycare center operator (EKO).
Daycare center director Kerstin Weishaar looks back on the past construction project: "For a year and a half, our children were able to watch their new daycare center being built every day. That was particularly exciting for the children. But we are also happy that normality has returned to our everyday lives. And the best thing is that we now have much more room and space than before the renovation. We need the space every day and we use it. This is a huge benefit for our kindergarten children."
The Rödernstraße daycare center has space for seven core groups in which each child can try things out and develop their skills. After settling in, each child has the opportunity to attend other groups and activities. "The new and expanded space provides the daycare center with great conditions for implementing a more diverse range of educational activities, as well as for supporting and promoting the children's development in a differentiated and needs-based way," explains Roberto Priore, Head of the Youth Welfare Office and Operations Manager of the EKO.
In addition to the group rooms, the educational concept provides for additional intensive rooms assigned to the groups. These offer the children the opportunity to withdraw into smaller groups to play or to carry out themed small group work.
There are also two exercise rooms. They are ideal for running, romping and playing. There is also a creative room in the newly constructed building, which offers the children the opportunity to try out different painting techniques. A special feature of the Rödernstraße daycare center is the clay workshop, which invites children to make and model with clay. A children's library is also available to everyone and is actively used in everyday educational activities. In addition, the family corner provides a place to gather information and gain an insight into the educational work.
In addition to language education, social interaction and value orientation are an important part of the daycare center's educational concept. For this reason, the Rödernstraße daycare center also participates in the federal program "Sprach-Kitas: Weil Sprache der Schlüssel zur Welt ist". This program includes the areas of inclusion, cooperation with families and language education integrated into everyday life.
The large outdoor area with trees and bushes invites children to play, run around, hide and seek, muddle and much more, whatever the weather. Walks to nearby playgrounds or parks and explorations of the district (schools, stores, cultural activities) also take place regularly. Two to three times a year, Offenbach theaters in the surrounding area are visited or events are held at the daycare center itself.