German School

With a budget of 50 million euros, the German government's largest civil engineering project abroad was entrusted to the Berlin firm Grüntuch Ernst, in association with the landscape architects Lützow7, who are responsible for the construction of the new German School in Madrid.

The project is located on a plot of land, ceded for use for a period of 75 years to the Federal Republic of Germany by the City of Madrid, with an approximate surface area of 34,700 m2 located in the PAU of Montecarmelo, in the north of the capital of Madrid.

The spatial program was optimized with the requirements of a modern and pedagogical architecture, and proposes, clearly defined and zoned, a primary and secondary school for 1500 students with cafeteria, assembly hall with a capacity for 750 seats, multipurpose gymnasium-sports center and subway parking, as well as a nursery school - kindergarten - for 300 children, which means a total built-up area of 27,063 m2.

The proposed solution has been valued for its organic form and spatial richness, as well as for its functionality and its adaptation to the climatic conditions of Madrid to optimize its performance in terms of energy efficiency. The design of the façade allows the winter sun to pass through but protects from the summer sun, and in the basement, a subway thermal labyrinth controls the temperature of the air that will later be used to ventilate the building.

The light color of the building reflects, according to the German studio, the landscape of the Madrid mountains. Some areas of the school's interior are highlighted with notes of color. On the stairs, for example, colored windows filter the natural light and are reminiscent of bright flowers, among other things.

The building incorporates first-generation technologies and construction systems common in Germany, some of which have never before been used in Spain. The project was awarded the "Architecture and Energy" prize in July 2011 by the German Federal Ministry of Economics.