Program Cologne
Cologne is one of the cities facing the greatest challenges in educational building. New constructions, renovations, the expansion of all-day schooling, and scarcity of space require innovative concepts and close collaboration among all stakeholders. This is precisely where our SCHULBAU trade fair comes in, on September 30 and October 1, 2026: It offers a platform where municipalities, planners, operators, architects, and industry representatives can jointly develop solutions for the educational buildings of tomorrow. From daycare centers to universities, from extensions of existing properties to the largest transformation project.
How can the numerous school construction projects in Cologne be implemented efficiently? What role do modular construction methods, open learning landscapes, climate adaptation, and the multiple use of educational buildings play? The SCHULBAU Trade Fair Cologne brings together planners, municipalities, architects, and manufacturers to discuss solutions for the current challenges in educational building and to develop new impulses for practical application.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Opening hours from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM
Focus: More Speed for Educational Building
Cologne faces the task of simultaneously creating new schools, modernizing existing buildings, and advancing the expansion of all-day schooling. This requires not only innovative construction methods but also new forms of collaboration. The SCHULBAU Trade Fair program shows how modular concepts, integrated planning processes, modern learning landscapes, and sustainable solutions can contribute to realizing educational buildings more quickly, flexibly, and future-proof. The focus is on the exchange between municipalities, planners, architects, and industry – because challenges can only be overcome together.
| 10:00 a.m. | Admission / Meet and Greet: Time for a short tour Our guided exhibitor tour for architects and planners, school construction authorities, school management, and educators |
| 10:30 AM | Opening SCHULBAU Trade Fair Moderation: Kirsten Jung, Founder and Managing Director, SCHULBAU Trade Fair |
| 10:40 – 10:55 AM | Welcome address: Anne Lena Ritter, Head of the Office for School Development of the City of Cologne |
| 10:55 – 11:10 AM | Expert Lab – An Expert Speaks – ALHO Modular Construction |
| 11:10 – 11:25 | Between space constraints, all-day schooling and existing buildings: How municipalities develop future-proof learning spaces Nina Lorenzen & Jörn Lorenzen, Managing Directors of Lernbauten GmbH, educational school construction consultancy for future-proof educational buildings |
| 11:25 – 11:40 AM | Eva Bienefeld, Architect for School Development Planning at the Office for School Development of the City of Cologne |
| 11:40 AM – 12:00 PM | Relax and networking with exhibitors and speakers |
| 12:00 – 12:15 PM | Vera-Lisa Schneider, Head of the Internal Services Unit, Construction and Property Matters, Ministry of Schools and Education of North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 12:15 – 12:30 PM | Tilmann Kramolisch, natureplus e.V. |
| 12:30 – 12:45 PM | Beyond the Classroom – How New Learning and Modern School Architecture Interact Timo Schlosser, Consultant and Speaker for Pedagogical School Construction at the Pedagogical State Institute Rhineland-Palatinate |
| 12:45 – 1:00 PM | Gesine Appel, Architect and Partner at baut Architektur PartmbB |
| 1:00 – 2:00 PM | Relax and networking with exhibitors and speakers |
| 2:00 – 2:15 PM | Expert Lab – An Expert Speaks – FAGSI |
| 2:15 – 2:30 PM | More space in the corridor – two perspectives on the learning space between classrooms Heike Brauer, certified school development consultant and school construction consultant, Heike Brauer. Raum. Bildung. Beratung Franziska Zeumer, Architect, Energy Consultant and Partner at surPlus Zukunftsfähiges Bauen |
| 2:30 – 2:45 PM | Jan Hertel, Partner and Project Manager at v-architekten GmbH |
| 2:45 – 3:00 PM | What is your limiting factor: staff, money, space, or all three? Jens Rauber, Managing Director of the Cologne School Construction Company |
| 3:00 – 3:30 PM | Relax and networking with exhibitors and speakers |
| 3:30 – 3:45 PM | Florian Kretzschmar, certified Learning•SPACE•Developer, co-designer of the Educational Architecture project at QUA-LiS NRW and teacher at a school in Winterberg |
| 3:45 – 4:00 PM | |
| 4:00 – 4:30 PM | Q&A – At the Kitchen Table: Experts in Conversation Kirsten Jung in Conversation |
| 4:30 PM | Invitation to the Blue Hour For exchange with all speakers, exhibitors, cooperation partners and VIPs (with snacks and drinks) |
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Opening hours from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Focus: Learning from Each Other: Educational Building Beyond City Limits
The challenges in educational building do not end at city limits. Therefore, the SCHULBAU Trade Fair focuses not only on Cologne but also on the entire region. Municipalities, planners, and experts from the region share their experiences on existing building development, investment needs, modern learning spaces, and innovative construction concepts. Practical presentations, discussions, and an excursion create space for professional exchange and show how cities can learn from each other to jointly shape educational building for the future.
| 10:00 a.m. | Admission / Meet and Greet: Time for a short tour Our guided exhibitor tour for architects and planners, school building authorities, school administrators and educators |
| 10:30 AM | Opening of Day 2 of the Exhibition Moderation: Kirsten Jung, Founder and Managing Director, SCHULBAU Exhibition |
| 10:35 – 10:50 AM | Welcome address: Gesche Arns-Büsker, Vice President of the Chamber of Architects of North Rhine-Westphalia |
| 10:50 – 11:05 AM | Building Management City of Wuppertal |
| 11:05 – 11:20 AM | Expert Lab – An Expert Speaks – Fabromont |
| 11:20 – 11:35 AM | Learning from Bolivia: a new kindergarten building Prof. Juan Pablo Molestina, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Hochschule Düsseldorf (PBSA) and Senior Partner at Molestina Architekten |
| 11:35 AM – 12:00 PM | Relax and networking with exhibitors and speakers |
| 12:00 – 12:15 PM | |
| 12:15 – 12:30 PM | |
| 12:30 – 12:45 PM | Franziska Müller-Rech, FDP Member of the State Parliament for Bonn and Spokesperson for School Policy for the parliamentary group |
| 12:45 – 1:00 PM | Expert Lab – An expert takes the floor – ConceptK |
| 1:00 – 1:45 PM | Relax and networking with exhibitors and speakers |
| 1:45 – 2:00 PM | Andreas Grosse-Holz – Head of the Municipal Real Estate Management Department for the City of Dortmund, Ahmet Gönen – Deputy Head of the Municipal Real Estate Management Department “Class(es) Spaces for Dortmund: Innovation and Speed in Municipal School Construction.” Seven years ago, the City of Dortmund decided to restart a school construction program. Since then, the construction volume has increased from 50 to 200 million euros per year. The result has been high-quality, climate-neutral modular buildings that meet current requirements for modern pedagogy. |
| 2:00 – 2:15 PM | Barbara Eitner, Member of the Representative Assembly and the Interior Architects Committee at AKNW, Managing Director of null2elf innenarchitekten, Lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture at Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences (PBSA) Birte Riepenhausen, Managing Director of null2elf innenarchitekten |
| 2:15 – 2:30 PM | Relax and networking with exhibitors and speakers |
| 2:30 – 3:00 PM | Q&A – At the Kitchen Table: Experts in Conversation Kirsten Jung in Conversation |
| 3:00 – 3:15 PM | Lecture on the Excursion |
| 3:15 – 3:30 PM | Closing words: We say goodbye and see you next time! |
| 3:30 – 5:00 PM | Now we’re off on an exciting excursion by bus Registration required in the ticket shop! |
The detailed lecture program will follow shortly.
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The School Construction Fair
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Experts
An international forum for architecture
An international forum for architecture
An international forum for architecture