To meet the immense demand for school places, the State of Berlin has committed itself to constructing up to 60 new school buildings in the coming years. These new schools are intended not only to fulfil the latest pedagogical requirements, but also to serve as exemplary models of energy efficiency and sustainability.

Ideally, all of this should be achieved within a short planning and construction period. To realise these ambitions, standardized timber modular buildings were developed that can be flexibly adapted to different sites. The classroom areas branch off from a spacious circulation zone.

By simply rotating and/or mirroring the building volume, the design can respond to a variety of plot configurations. The classroom areas are arranged around a generous, light-filled corridor, which connects to the respective home rooms and offers two spacious “mini” compartments per floor as additional pedagogical space in front of the circulation cores.

A ground-floor cafeteria, which can also serve as a communal space, completes the spatial programme. The façade is clad in metal and wood—or entirely in wood—allowing the buildings to be integrated into their respective urban contexts.

In total, 32 of these standardized school buildings will be constructed in Berlin by 2026.