Senior High School Center for Law

Berlin-Charlottenburg is characterized by a mostly closed urban structure alongside the streets. Rare gap sites are a result of bombardments of the city at the end of World War II. In these locations the high firewalls of the adjacent buildings are visible and the view is opened up towards the inside of the building block.

A new school building was to be built on such a plot. Following urban planning parameters, the new building adapts in scale to the adjacent architecture. It is aligned with the firewalls and the street. As attaching a building one-sidedly usually evokes problems with the incidence of daylight, the construction required a special ground plan solution.

All classrooms are located on the three daylight-facing sides of the building, while the representative staircase connecting the single floors is positioned alongside the firewall. The center of the building is undeveloped. This expansive core creates a shielded interior courtyard that stretches out over all six stories of the building. Zenithal light enters through the edges of the courtyard roofing and creates a special atmosphere that varies depending on day and season. The walls encompassing the courtyard are built from satin glass blocks, which allow diffuse daylight to enter the neighboring rooms.