Expansion of the Berlin Metropolitan School 

The Berlin Metropolitan School (BMS) is the oldest international school in the centre of the capital. It uses an existing building that was constructed in 1987 as an industrially prefabricated reinforced concrete system building. In order to better implement the modern teaching concept and to accommodate the newly designed three-form upper school, an extension of the school was necessary. The internationally active Berlin architects Sauerbruch Hutton used the roof area of the prefabricated building for a wooden extension - in the spirit of urban densification that conserves land resources. They also added a new building to the side that spans several storeys. In the interior, LIGNO® Akustik light acoustic panels ensure pleasant quietness and good speech intelligibility. The successful project was awarded the 2021 German Timber Construction Prize in the category "Building in Existing Contexts".

The construction measures could be carried out in phases and without interrupting the school, the decisive factor being the prefabrication possible in timber construction. On the outside, the extension and the annex were clad in copper, while the sustainable building material was to be visible on the inside: The ceiling soffits were covered with very finely profiled acoustic panels LIGNO ® Akustik light acoustic panels made of silver fir. In addition to good room sound, they promote a healthy indoor climate. Finished with a whitish translucent varnish, they give the rooms a very modern and fresh appearance in a discreet way.

The library and the sculpturally shaped auditorium, in which the primary wooden structure dominates, are particularly impressive. The acoustic panels recede into the background between the trusses, concealing ventilation and technical elements and creating a pleasant quality of quiet and good speech intelligibility in the high two-storey room volume.