Located in Heilbronn’s model district of Neckarbogen, the Josef-Schwarz-Schule is a bilingual all-day school combining primary, secondary, and upper secondary levels across a campus of approximately 60,000 square meters. Designed by Behnisch Architekturbüro, the school is conceived as a cohesive ensemble of three buildings that supports learning, movement, and social interaction within an open spatial structure.
Rather than treating sustainability as a collection of technical additions, the project integrates low-carbon construction, passive environmental strategies, and adaptable learning spaces into its architectural concept.
Three educational buildings are arranged on an elevated landscape podium that distinguishes the school from the surrounding urban fabric while connecting classrooms, outdoor spaces, and community facilities through a continuous sequence of terraces, gardens, and circulation routes.
The campus received the DGNB Diamond Award, presented by the German Sustainable Building Council in recognition of outstanding architectural quality, and achieved DGNB Pre-Certification with a target of Platinum, supported by an overall performance score of 84.9 percent. Indoor air quality was also verified through VOC and formaldehyde measurements in accordance with DGNB requirements, reinforcing the project’s emphasis on healthy learning environments.
Timber-hybrid construction
The ensemble uses timber-hybrid construction, with wood serving as a principal material throughout. It contributes to the interior atmosphere and thermal performance through its insulating properties. Clay-based radiant ceilings support thermal comfort, while the design prioritizes natural ventilation and thermal mass over complex mechanical systems.
Energy is supplied through geothermal systems and photovoltaic panels. Materials are largely sourced from Central Europe and include larch wood, clay, ceramics, rubber, and precast concrete, contributing to a restrained and robust material palette. Roofs and terraces support rainwater retention, while natural ventilation and night cooling reduce reliance on conventional air-conditioning.
The structural concept is based on a timber-hybrid system that reduces reliance on conventional construction materials while storing carbon within the building fabric. Roof and ceiling structures use LENO® cross-laminated timber (CLT) supplied by ZÜBLIN Timber, while clay heating and cooling ceilings provide thermal mass using natural materials.
Resource efficiency extends throughout the construction process. Recycled alternatives replace virgin materials where practical, including 100 percent recycled excavation material for embankments and backfill, a blinding layer made entirely from recycled concrete, facade profiles manufactured from 75 percent recycled aluminum, and floor build-ups incorporating foam-glass aggregate produced from recycled glass. Materials were selected in accordance with DGNB product requirements, with an emphasis on durability, recyclability, and regional sourcing.
The elevated campus landscape
Positioned at the southern edge of the district, the complex responds to nearby railway lines and the density of the surrounding urban fabric through an elevated landscape plateau. At this raised schoolyard level, three rooftop pavilions interweave with terraces, green roofs, and open spaces, creating a varied sequence of outdoor areas.
The elevated plinth separates the public realm from daily school life while opening new visual connections to the neighborhood and surrounding landscape. The relationship between interior and exterior spaces creates diverse settings that enrich everyday learning.
Each educational level occupies its own building, giving the ensemble a sense of individuality within unity. The primary school is organized into learning houses tailored to different age groups. The secondary level features open learning studios that support collaborative and independent work, while the upper school comprises specialized clusters designed for advanced coursework.
The auditorium, cafeteria, and foyer are combined on the ground floor to form the social heart of the campus—a shared space where students, teachers, and visitors come together. Opening toward the city, it also connects the school with the surrounding neighborhood.
In addition to the educational buildings, the campus incorporates new premises for the Haus der Familie, a nonprofit family counseling and community center that links the school with its wider neighborhood. It provides spaces for parental support, counseling, meetings, and shared activities, strengthening relationships between education, family life, and the local community. An open and welcoming place, it embodies the campus's social spirit.
Passive climate design and renewable energy
The campus combines passive design strategies with geothermal and renewable energy systems to reduce operational emissions and generate energy on-site. Geothermal energy provides heating and cooling, while a 1,400-square-meter rooftop photovoltaic array generates renewable electricity.
Together, these measures reduce the campus’s primary energy demand by more than 52 percent compared with the requirements of Germany’s Building Energy Act (GEG). Operational emissions are reported at 10.15 kg CO₂e/m² per year, while the photovoltaic system is expected to avoid approximately 180 tonnes of CO2 emissions over 20 years.
Designing for adaptability and disassembly
Long-term flexibility is another component of the sustainability strategy. The educational buildings use a skeleton structural system that minimizes permanent internal walls, allowing learning environments to adapt to changing educational needs. Service infrastructure is organized through a facade-based ring-main system, enabling future reconfiguration without major structural intervention.
The project also incorporates design-for-disassembly principles. The timber structure is assembled using mechanical connections that allow future dismantling, while the clay ceiling system can be separated into individual material streams at the end of its service life. Dry floor construction avoids adhesives, allowing layers to be removed, replaced, and recycled independently. Together with recyclable aluminum, ceramic facades, and durable material selections, these measures extend the building’s service life while reducing future maintenance and demolition impacts.
Outdoor learning as environmental infrastructure
An elevated courtyard links the three school buildings through a continuous green network of sports facilities, recreation areas, terraces, and planting zones. Extensive and intensive green roofs provide rainwater retention, increase biodiversity, and improve thermal performance, while rooftop terraces extend learning environments beyond enclosed classrooms.
Together, these outdoor spaces support environmental resilience and the daily educational experience, integrating architecture, landscape, and sustainable design.
