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This extension to the Free Waldorf School in Berlin by MONO Architekten reinterprets educational architecture through natural materials, handcrafted construction, and a highly expressive spatial language aligned with Waldorf pedagogical principles.

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Located within a unique urban condition between socialist-era prefabricated housing blocks, Gründerzeit perimeter buildings, and the green landscape of the Jewish Cemetery, the project introduces a new after-school childcare building that deliberately contrasts with the rigid geometry of the existing 1970s school structure. A sequence of honeycomb-like volumes extends across the courtyard toward the sports hall, creating a softer and more sculptural architectural identity.

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The interconnected timber volumes define differentiated outdoor areas for access, play, and gathering while establishing a protective edge toward the street and consolidating a more coherent school courtyard. Sloped green roofs and rising eaves clad in untreated larch reinforce the project’s organic, almost village-like character, giving the extension a dynamic silhouette within the surrounding urban fabric.

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Inside, a winding circulation spine connects the existing stairwell with the new extension and unfolds alongside a massive clay wall that organizes movement, wardrobes, and transitional spaces while simultaneously regulating the indoor climate through its thermal mass. Around it, classrooms open directly onto outdoor areas and elevated mezzanines overlooking the surrounding treetops, creating intimate learning environments closely connected to nature.

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Low-Impact Materials with an Educational Purpose

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The project was driven by the ambition to maximize the use of untreated, renewable, and low-impact materials in alignment with Waldorf educational values. Developed through a participatory process in collaboration with Berlin’s Knobelsdorff vocational school, the building was conceived not only as an architectural intervention but also as a collective educational experience.

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The structure utilizes timber-frame construction, cellulose insulation in the roofs, and non-load-bearing straw insulation within the exterior walls, finished internally with clay plaster. The façade, clad in untreated larch boards of varying widths and depths, creates a textured and constantly shifting surface. Inside, the combination of clay plaster, exposed wood, and timber flooring establishes a warm and natural atmosphere designed to age gracefully over time.

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Heating is supplied through Berlin’s district heating network and distributed via systems integrated into the clay walls as well as underfloor heating within circulation areas. Decentralized humidity-controlled ventilation systems support a primarily manual ventilation strategy, reducing technical complexity while improving indoor comfort and air quality.

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Through timber construction, straw insulation, clay surfaces, and participatory building processes, the project demonstrates how architecture itself can become both a pedagogical tool and a visible statement in favor of lower-impact construction within contexts historically dominated by conventional high-impact materials.

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We invite you to explore some of the materials used in this project in more detail.

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Discover many other bio-based, mineral, and lower-impact construction materials, compare technical data and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and organize references into reusable project collections within revalu Spaces.

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