On the 27th and 28th of November 2024, our colleague Vanessa Platzdasch, Managing Director in Germany, visited the School Construction Fair in Berlin. An event dedicated to professionals from the education and construction sectors to present new solutions and concepts regarding school construction of the future.
The International SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION Festival (SCHULBAU Festival) focussed on sustainable building materials and the circular economy approach to construction, inclusion, education for sustainable development (ESD), AI, urban development and heritage protection. The lecture by Robert Grimm, Director of Delivery, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, about the design process of educational projects worldwide was extremely interesting.
Another particular highlight was the excursion to Beethoven-Gymnasium. The tour focussed on the circular classroom of the future – a pilot project based on the principles of the circular economy and sustainability. The space will be comprehensively redesigned in cooperation with the Berlin Cradle to Cradle NGO and other partners with the objective of creating a sustainable learning environment. Outstanding features of the project are the utilisation of solar energy and the New European Bauhaus as a central guiding principle.
The School Building Fair in Berlin proved to be extremely informative. The event demonstrated effectively how school construction is responding to the needs of the future – whether by means of a sustainable architecture, digital innovations or modern equipment. The impressions we gathered will support us when planning and realising our educational construction projects.