Schulzendorf, located on the southern edge of Berlin, is a growing municipality. The existing school campus, situated within a predominantly single-family residential neighbourhood, consists of a heterogeneous ensemble of buildings from different periods: a multi-purpose hall dating from the mid-1990s, a nursery from the early 2000s, a school building from the 1930s, and a “Type Magdeburg” school building from 1965. Rather than introducing yet another freestanding structure, our proposal extends the existing standardised school building. This approach lends the school a civic presence that stabilises the ensemble in urban terms and reflects the significance of its educational function.

Concept
The existing building is organised around two outward-facing courtyards. The extension completes the form on both sides, transforming it into a figure-eight configuration. The formerly open courtyards become internal glazed atria, around which a new circulation system is arranged, serving both the existing and the newly added classrooms. Two incisions carved into the cubic volume mediate between interior and exterior. One forms a sheltered entrance area that also extends the playground under cover; the other creates an outdoor terrace for the canteen.

Façade
A seamless envelope unifies the existing structure and the two extensions into a single architectural volume. The binding material is a ventilated rainscreen façade made of willow, woven on site. This natural cladding gives the building a coherent identity while expressing craftsmanship and material authenticity.

Interior
A complex and vibrant spatial sequence of colour runs throughout the building’s public areas. The entrance incision leads into an assembly hall suitable for events, which opens vertically into the full-height atria above. Circulation galleries provide access to all rooms and widen at key points to form informal meeting areas, alongside more intimate niches offering views to the outside. The colour concept is concentrated within the communal spaces. Each floor and each atrium is assigned its own distinct colour. These monochromatic tones extend across walls, floors, and ceilings, creating immersive spatial environments conceived specifically for children.

Sustainability
The compactness of the scheme ensures economic efficiency. More than doubling the school’s usable area with only a marginal increase in façade surface significantly reduces heat loss. The integration of the existing building results in a facility that meets contemporary energy standards. A photovoltaic installation on the flat roof generates renewable electricity. Willow, a rapidly renewable and underutilised timber resource, is sustainably cultivated and reinforces the project’s ecological ambitions.