Personalized Learning in Clusters
With the construction of a new high school for 1,000 students and a separate sports and administrative complex, the City of Cologne broke new ground: Sustainability plays a central role, and at the same time, the project is one of 22 current investor-led models in which the city leases the completed buildings and integrates them into its educational system. Through close collaboration with the private construction industry, urgently needed school buildings are being constructed in a short period of time—in the case of the high school in Cologne-Deutz, in less than three years.
The architectural concept is based on the idea of individualized learning in clusters. Above a continuous ground floor housing communal spaces—the auditorium, library, cafeteria, and administration offices—the upper floors feature learning hubs that create private and customizable learning environments. A central learning boulevard connects these areas, ensuring short distances and making it easy to find one’s way around.
Two of the three functional zones on the ground floor open onto landscaped courtyards, which serve as open spaces that complement the educational program. The main entrance and schoolyard bring the building together into a cohesive whole. The adjacent sports and office complex houses two double-height sports halls arranged one above the other, enclosed by a perimeter of office and restaurant spaces.
The facades combine exposed masonry in warm natural tones with delicate post-and-beam elements and accented areas of relief masonry. Inside, the space is dominated by light-colored exposed concrete walls (SB3 grade), oiled oak, and durable flooring: linoleum in the learning areas, cast stone in the foyer, and ceramic tiles in the restroom areas.
Recycled concrete with a high proportion of recycled aggregate, wood-aluminum windows, energy-efficient building systems, and durable materials reduce the ecological footprint. The energy supply is based largely on renewable sources—including 92 geothermal wells, each 99 meters deep, and 334 photovoltaic modules with a total output of approximately 134 kWp. With a primary energy demand of 45.9 kWh/m², the building meets the Efficiency House Class 40 standard. The construction site itself was also certified as a “sustainable construction site” according to the DGNB standard.
In addition to environmental considerations, the focus was on long-term flexibility of use: The spatial concepts can be adapted to changing educational requirements, thereby ensuring the building’s future viability.
