Programme Berlin 2026
Berlin faces major challenges in educational construction:
The school stock must be modernized, additional capacities created, and at the same time, sustainable solutions for climate adaptation and energy implemented. SCHULBAU Berlin therefore brings together all key stakeholders from administration, architecture, planning, education, and the construction industry.
The focus is on the topics that will shape school construction in Berlin in the future. For example, a paradigm shift through renovation instead of new construction, with opportunities for the flexible further development of existing schools. A focus on innovative construction concepts that strive for modularity. Furthermore, climate-resilient school sites that utilize the potential of facade and roof greening as well as rainwater management and infiltration.
Look forward to current projects, practical presentations, and professional exchange with the experts who are actively shaping educational construction in Berlin and Brandenburg.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Opening hours: from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM
Focus: Renovation and flexible further development of the school stock
Berlin faces the challenge of modernizing a large number of existing school buildings while simultaneously providing sufficient school places for a growing and changing city. Therefore, the renovation of existing stock is increasingly becoming the focus. Modular supplementary buildings and innovative concepts make it possible to expand schools flexibly, react to increasing student numbers, and develop existing sites for the future – economically, sustainably, and with the shortest possible planning and construction times.
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| 10:00 a.m. | Time for a quick tour Our guided exhibitor tour for architects and planners, school construction authorities, school heads, and educators |
Meet and Greet Speed-Dating |
| 10:30 AM | Kirsten Jung, Founder and Managing Director of the SCHULBAU Trade Fair | Opening of the SCHULBAU Trade Fair |
| 10:35 – 10:50 AM | Dr. Torsten Kühne, State Secretary, Berlin Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family |
Welcome address |
| 10:50 – 11:05 a.m. | Daniela Riedel, Head of School Construction at HOWOGE Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH | Insight into the completed schools of HOWOGE The nine now-completed compartment schools of HOWOGE are presented, which were built according to the Berlin ‘Lern- und Teamhaus’ (Learning and Team House) concept and were created as part of the Berlin School Construction Offensive. |
| 11:05–11:20 | Eike Richter, Landscape Architect, Board Member of the Berlin Chamber of Architects | Rethinking School Construction – Perspectives for Berlin’s School Construction The Architektenkammer Berlin has constructively and critically accompanied the Berlin School Construction Initiative since its launch 10 years ago. In addition to impressive growth, it led to varying qualities in building culture, processes, and added value for the districts. As an interim assessment and outlook on school renovation, the positions of the Architektenkammer Berlin on school construction are presented. |
| 11:20 AM – 11:50 AM | Kirsten Jung in conversation | Q&A – At the kitchen table: Experts in conversation |
| 11:50 AM – 12:20 PM | Relax and networking with exhibitors and speakers | |
| 12:20 – 12:35 p.m. | Frank Riebesell, landscape architect, project manager at hochC Landschaftsarchitektur GmbH | Green walls for better learning: Berlin’s model project for facade greening More than just looks: vertical gardens protect school buildings from heat, capture fine dust, and improve the learning climate. Using concrete Berlin case studies, this talk shows how implementation succeeds when renovating existing buildings—and what to watch out for. |
| 12:35 PM – 12:50 PM | Expert Lab
– An expert speaks: |
Our contribution to the School Construction Initiative: Serial construction with MOLENO® the building system is the intelligent combination of industrially prefabricated concrete and wooden elements for the further development of Berlin’s school landscape |
| 12:50 – 1:05 p.m. | Benjamin Fritz, District Councillor for Schools and Sport, Berlin-Mitte District Office | Impacts of the Berlin School Construction Offensive (BSO) on a neighbourhood, using the Brunnenviertel as an example |
| 1:05 PM – 1:20 PM | Katia Werkmeister, doctoral candidate at the ifo Institute – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research | Macroeconomic returns of better education. School performance in Germany has been declining for a decade and a half. Three ministers of education have therefore proposed measurable targets through to 2035. A recent ifo study projects what achieving them would deliver: almost €21 trillion in additional economic output over 80 years. The presentation shows where Berlin stands today, what better education can deliver in economic terms, and what role local daycare centers and schools play. |
| 1:20 pm – 2:00 pm | Relax and networking with exhibitors and speakers | |
| 2:00 – 2:15 p.m. | Experts Lab – An expert speaks:
Marcus Nitschke, Managing Director, D:4 Architekten Berlin, |
Haus Liese at Campus Hedwig, Berlin-Lichtenberg
D:4 is developing two commercial units in a residential tower into a temporary primary school for up to 72 children in three mixed-age learning groups. The guiding principle of the “refined shell construction” combines visible load-bearing structures with reduced, reversible fixtures and precise color-coded orientation aids. Materiality, light, and color are oriented toward the needs of the children, including neurodivergent children. Reusable materials and constructions enable further use and provide valuable insights for future new school construction. |
| 2:15 PM – 2:30 PM | Henrike Wehberg-Krafft, managing partner at WES Landschafts-Architektur | Why we should improve the design of schoolyards As children spend a large part of their free time in open or integrated all-day schools, high-quality outdoor facilities with a high proportion of greenery are required – research has long since proven that green and wooded environments, as well as well-designed, aesthetic spaces, promote recovery, reduce stress, and improve attention and mood. At the same time, this presents an opportunity to introduce children to ecological education right on their doorstep. Despite this knowledge, schoolyards are still being planned with insufficient funding and on plots that are too small. The multiple use of spaces is being pushed to the limit – and, driven by space requirements and lists of demands, this primarily comes at the expense of greenery and tree-lined areas in the shade. |
| 2:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Experts Lab – An expert takes the floor:
Microshade Martine Dreusse, Head of Sales D-A-CH, Benelux |
Climate-resilient schools – summer thermal protection between comfort, daylight and sustainability Rising summer temperatures are posing new challenges for educational buildings: How can overheating be avoided while preserving daylight, views and architectural quality at the same time? The presentation shows how summer thermal protection, energy efficiency and sustainability can be conceived together. Using MicroShade® as an example, a passive sun-shading solution integrated into the glazing is presented, which reduces solar heat gains – for bright, comfortable and future-ready learning spaces. |
| 2:45 – 3:00 p.m. | Malgorzata Sijbrandij, District Councilor for Education, Culture and Sport, Bezirksamt Zehlendorf-Steglitz | Talk title to follow. |
| 15:00–15:20 | Awards ceremony SCHULBAU Award and Façade Technology Award. |
Presentation of 1st–3rd place in the SCHULBAU and Façade Technology Awards |
| 15:20–15:40 | Relax and networking with exhibitors and speakers | |
| 3:40 PM – 3:55 PM | Pau Sarquella, architect and co-founder of Sarquella Torres Architects (Banyoles, Spain) | Room for more Two kindergartens, developed in very different contexts, are shaped by a similar question: how to produce space beyond what is strictly required. Constraints of budget, regulation and existing conditions become opportunities to introduce open, intermediate and unprogrammed spaces, extending use beyond the limits of the brief. |
| 3:55 PM – 4:10 PM | Berliner Regenwasseragentur | Rainwater management applied in schools: For cool learning spaces |
| 4:10 PM – 4:25 PM | Leonora Schlüter, M.A. Interior Architecture | “Learning Slab – from standardized construction to learning landscape” School has long been more than a place for imparting knowledge. It is a living space, a meeting place, and a pioneer of social development. While schools in many places are dilapidated and barely meet the requirements of modern pedagogy, this keynote addresses the question of how a standardized school building from the past can become a contemporary learning and living space of the future. Using the example of a GDR prefab slab school of the “Erfurt” type from 1980, the presentation examines what potential lies in the existing building stock and demonstrates how targeted transformation can create an open, flexible, and inspiring school building. |
| 4:25 PM | Invitation to the Blue Hour Networking with all speakers, exhibitors, and cooperation partners (with snacks and drinks) |
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Opening hours: from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Focus: Climate-resilient school sites with high quality of stay
As a growing metropolis, Berlin must prepare for the consequences of climate change and adapt its educational infrastructure accordingly. Sponge schoolyards, rainwater management, the use of geothermal energy, as well as roof and facade greening make an important contribution. Complemented by sustainable mobility concepts and attractive schoolyards, learning environments are created that not only meet the ecological requirements of the future but also sustainably improve the quality of stay for students and teachers.
| 10:00 a.m. | Time for a quick tour Our guided exhibitor tour for architects and planners, school construction authorities, school heads, and educators |
Meet and Greet Speed-Dating |
| 10:30 AM | Kirsten Jung, Founder and Managing Director of the SCHULBAU Trade Fair | Opening of the 2nd day of the trade fair |
| 10:50 – 11:05 a.m. | Expert Lab – An expert takes the floor: ConceptK |
Talk title to follow |
| 11:05–11:20 | Eva Majewski Sparacino District Councilor for Urban Development and Facility Management in Tempelhof-Schöneberg Klaus Lelickens Head of the Facility Management Service Unit in Tempelhof-Schöneberg |
The Flying Classroom 2.0 The Future of School Construction in Berlin The district of Tempelhof-Schöneberg has developed a modular timber construction system with the dfk2.0 kit that creates additional capacities for school sites quickly and flexibly. The presentation introduces the concept: Across up to three stories, the kit realizes building sizes from 1,000 to 2,800 m² of usable space for 144 to 664 students. Thanks to timber frame construction, the facility can be assembled and disassembled multiple times and deployed at different sites – with an average service life of 15 years per location and a total life expectancy of around 45 years. |
| 11:20 AM – 11:50 AM | Kirsten Jung in conversation | Q&A – At the kitchen table: Experts in conversation |
| 11:50 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. | Relax and networking with exhibitors and speakers | |
| 12:10 PM – 12:25 PM | Dr. Claudia Nickel, Managing Director of the Berlin-Brandenburg State Association of Daycare and School Support Associations e.V. (lsfb) | School support associations as strong and flexible partners School support associations are an important pillar of the education system. They pool the commitment of parents, educational professionals, young people, school administrations, and other interested parties who are dedicated to education. In doing so, they promote participation and equal opportunities, act flexibly, and provide unbureaucratic support. This presentation shows how these potentials can be used for cooperations to shape schools and local educational landscapes . |
| 12:25 PM – 12:40 PM | Expert Lab – An expert takes the floor: ALHO Systembau |
Talk title to follow |
| 12:40 PM – 12:55 PM | Georg Poduschka, Managing Partner at PPAG architects, Vienna and Berlin | On the New School Contemporary educational goals, current societal challenges, and the findings of learning research are transforming everyday school life: Independent learning and project-based teaching are largely replacing instructional teaching, all-day schools guarantee equal educational opportunities regardless of family background. The school building is no longer just a learning space, but also a living space. It is only logical that the school building itself must fundamentally change as well. |
| 12:55 PM – 1:10 PM | Marion Zirngibl Team Lead Education, German Programs, Save the Children Carlotta Frank-Hakimi Advisor Digital Education, MakerLabs, Save the Children |
Makerspaces Participatory and Child-Friendly – Also at Your School!
“Making is not like school. It’s imagination.” This is how a young person describes their experiences in the school’s own makerspace. With examples from Bremen, Berlin, and Hamburg, we want to show what digital education can look like in a single cabinet, with heritage protection, or even across 1,500 m2. We will explore the question of what child rights-based school/education can look like, and young people will explain the role of clamping bricks in this context. |
| 1:10 PM – 1:50 PM | Relax and networking with exhibitors and speakers | |
| 1:50 PM – 2:05 PM | Laura Fogarasi-Ludloff, Managing Director at Ludloff Ludloff Architekten Gmbh Jens Ludloff, Managing Director at Ludloff Ludloff Architekten Gmbh |
Daycare centre Gurdrunstraße & canteen, Berlin-Tempelhof |
| 14:05–14:20 | Expert Lab – An expert takes the floor: TOPSPORT GmbH |
Talk title to follow. |
| 2:50 PM – 3:00 PM | Relax and networking with exhibitors and speakers | |
| 3:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Expert Lab – An expert takes the floor: Fagsi Systembau |
Talk title to follow |
| 3:15 PM – 3:30 PM | Julius Beier, M.A.; Project Manager, AFF Architekten | New Schools on the Block A typological repository |
| 3:30 PM – 3:35 PM | Julius Beier, M.A. / Project Manager AFF and Matthias Fruntke, Senatsverwaltung für Bildung, Jugend und Familie Department VI – School Development Planning and School Infrastructure in the State of Berlin |
Introduction to the Excursion: We’re going to Heinrich-Hertz-Gymnasium |
| 3:35 PM – 3:40 PM | Closing words: We say goodbye and see you next time! |
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| 3:40 PM – 5:00 PM | We’re now heading by bus to the exciting excursion |
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The School Construction Fair
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Experts
An international forum for architecture
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