Paul Junius Elementary School, Berlin

The existing school and gymnasium buildings are standardized structures lacking any urban architectural distinction. The current main entrance faces the schoolyard. Together with the neighboring adult education center, the site along Paul-Junius-Straße thus forms an urban boundary that sets off the open structure of the large housing development. The new main entrance will be relocated to Paul-Junius-Straße. Through a well-proportioned urban forecourt, the school now opens up to the neighborhood. Students, teachers, and visitors enter a spacious, barrier-free area. The green buffer zone between the school and the street is transformed into a public open space where parents picking up their children can relax while waiting. The school’s total gross floor area is increased by 1,164 square meters. Thanks to the concentrated expansion of the school building toward the street, play, sports, and recreational areas within the property are fully preserved. The existing areas, particularly near the former main entrance, will be unpaved and incorporated into the new schoolyard. The new exits will allow for a seamless integration of the topography. The open spaces form a natural transition to the neighboring park.

The lower two floors of the existing building, the new extension, and the sports hall will be clad in clinker bricks installed with the back side facing forward (“foot sorting”). The irregular marks and imprints left by the conveyor belts create a dynamic surface.