Former Jewish Girls’ School Berlin

Berlin’s former Jewish Girls’ School was built in 1927/28, designed by architect Alexander Beer to accommodate 300 pupils from Berlin’s Jewish community. After standing vacant for several years, the school has now undergone a minimally invasive programme of restoration and conversion, resulting in the building’s re-emergence as a cultural centre. In keeping with the school building’s eventful history, its original internal layout was restored and the qualities of the historical architecture made visible. The redefinition of this edifice involved initiator Michael Fuchs and Grüntuch Ernst Architects transferring the collaborative project from the private sector to the cultural sector. This enabled them to go beyond the design process and act as coordinators, compiling a diverse range of appropriate ways to put the building to use.

It is the traditional values of architecture that form the basis of our work, as these are rooted in positive experience with the architectural environment. Innovation entails the crucial steps that lead into the future, in order to open up new opportunities to meet the challenges presented by the ongoing changes in living and working conditions.

Openness and integral operation methods have shaped each of our tailor-made projects. The questioning and reinterpretation of the design assignment, an inquisitive and experimental spirit, and the quest for alternative functional, formal, technical, artistic and cultural prospects lead to innovative and individual solutions.