The L-shaped, 90-meter-long school building makes full use of the site’s length, engages with the busy Thurgauerstrasse and its large-scale buildings, and emphasizes its own positioning relative to its surroundings. In the direction facing the quiet residential area of single-family homes and apartment buildings higher up at the rear, the building gives the impression of being low and volumetrically small‑scale. Together with the playgrounds and social interaction areas in the multi‑layered outdoor space between the school and the neighbourhood street at the rear, it forms the centrepiece of the complex. Moreover, as a narrow building type, it blends easily into the very noticeably contrasting surroundings. A second facade, 40 metres in length, forms an angular body embracing the planned neighbourhood park to the north. On the northwest facade, structural demi-courtyards break the building up into smaller components. The resulting avant‑corps form the building’s cluster units, conveying a child‑friendly scale when viewed from the outside. The all‑weather synthetic sports ground, on the same level as the Thurgauerstrasse, with clearly defined seating levels, enhances the site’s prestige value by underscoring the school building’s importance as a public building.

On the ground floor, at playground level, are the kindergarten and its separate outdoor area, along with the cafeteria and the multipurpose room, which face the park. The library, the music rooms and the psychomotor skills development room are also located here. In the main building on the two upper storeys are the six clusters, each consisting of three classrooms, two group rooms and a structurally separate support room. In each cluster these classrooms are grouped around a common centre which serves as a social interaction zone, cloakroom and extended school space. The group rooms with hinged doors are situated next to the adjacent clusters, and in addition horizontal access through the building is enabled via these spaces. The handicrafts/curriculum support rooms are in the section of the building facing the park. The school personnel areas and the school administration and school offices are also located there. This section has its own staircase and lift access from the ground floor. In the basement of the building there is access to the sports area with the dual sports hall and to the regeneration kitchen. Also located there are the workshops.

The school building can be accessed from Grubenackerstrasse via the playground and from Thurgauerstrasse. The latter entrance is used by children, teachers and visitors coming from the southeast. It leads via an attractive staircase to the internal "boulevard" at ground floor. All facilities can be easily accessed via this horizontal access area.

The design of the outdoor space plays an important role, as it contributes to environmental offsetting in this urban area. On the trellises along the inward‑facing frontal facades, there is dense ground‑planted vertical greening on large parts of the facades; in the demi-courtyards, cable climber systems bearing greening extend radially. The large roof—visible from every surrounding building—is also covered with extensive greening, as a fifth facade. This creates significant added value environmentally as well as aesthetically. A regular banded facade, independent of the structural design, gives the building its characteristic outward appearance, and also allows mounting of cost‑effective, standardized photovoltaic panels behind rear‑ventilated corrugated polycarbonate facade sheets on the parapets. This semi‑transparent facade is only perceptible at second glance and provides scope for multiple interpretations, as the building appears quite different depending on the time of day and light conditions. The solar facade reduces energy consumption during operation, with self‑consumption of approx. 50%, based on the school complex's estimated annual consumption of approx. 340,000 kWh. In accordance with City of Zurich guidelines, the energy values specified in the Minergie-P-ECO standard are achieved.
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