Special Needs School Berlin

The pupils’ particular perception of the world meant considerable challenges in designing a special needs school in line with its character of both a sanctuary and a place of training for day-to-day life. Versatile relations to the exterior space, a high-contrast organization of the floor plan and a deliberate colour scheme are meant to facilitate orientation and identification with the building itself. The school and therapy buildings surround a small garden courtyard and are connected with each other by way of a glass corridor that also serves as an exhibition area for the pupils. Inside the school building, five three-storey “classroom houses” form clear units with their own interior façades. All of the classrooms have south-facing terraces that provide a protected outdoor space and supplement the limited open space provided by the property.