Cologne-Deutz School (SKD)

Following the successful completion of several new school buildings (comprehensive and technical schools) in Cologne, the Cologne-Bonn and Cologne divisions were awarded the contract in December 2022 to construct an innovative, high-quality grammar school using a cluster design for approximately 1,000 pupils in Cologne-Deutz, and, in June 2023, a supplementary contract to construct the adjacent sports complex comprising two double-storey sports halls, one above the other, and an office building as an infill development.

The client – Ulrich Beckmann Real Estate (UBRE) – received comprehensive advice from Züblin as early as the planning phase, which was a decisive factor in the award of the contract.

Following a preliminary commission for planning stage LPH 5 and the foundation works, preparatory work began as early as mid-2022. An archaeological site on the plot (a 19th-century Prussian fort) was uncovered and documented by the Roman-Germanic Museum in Cologne.

Following the granting of planning permission, earthworks, bored pile installation, geothermal drilling and shoring works commenced in October 2022.

The school building features an underground car park in the basement with 193 parking spaces, which is primarily intended for the client’s office building, which was constructed on the neighbouring plot.
The ground floor houses the assembly hall, a canteen with an adjoining commercial kitchen, a library, landscaped courtyards and the administration wing.
The three upper floors each accommodate three cluster areas and science classrooms arranged as ‘learning houses’, which are interconnected by a ‘learning boulevard’. Furthermore, the contract encompassed the fitting out of the laboratories, the construction of the outdoor facilities and their connection to the transport and technical infrastructure, as well as the provision of the necessary planning services from design phase 5 onwards.

Notable features included the SB 3 exposed concrete finish on the internal walls (approx. 13,500 m²) and the short construction period. Consequently, after a construction period of only around 29 months, one of our division’s largest school projects was completed on schedule, to a high standard and within the agreed budget.

On the neighbouring plot, the sports halls belonging to the grammar school were constructed, enclosed by a 5-storey office block forming a perimeter development. Here too, the basement houses an underground car park with 57 parking spaces for office users. Access to the changing rooms and sanitary facilities of the two-storey multi-purpose sports halls, situated one above the other, is provided via the first and third floors. The adjacent storeys and areas are used exclusively for office purposes.

Furthermore, sustainability and the conservation of resources are key factors in the project. In this regard, too, there was a high degree of alignment between the investor’s vision and the Group’s sustainability strategy. This aspect is therefore also reflected in the building’s design qualities and choice of materials (recycled concrete, timber-aluminium windows/PR façades, timber wall cladding in the interior fit-out). Energy is supplied primarily via renewable sources, comprising a total of 92 geothermal boreholes, each 99 metres deep, and 334 PV modules with a capacity of approx. 134 kWp. The buildings are DGNB-certified.

In addition, the construction site was one of the first in the North Rhine-Westphalia regional office to be certified as a sustainable construction site under the DGNB scheme.

Certified by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)

In this project, Ed. Züblin AG is, amongst other things, aiming to use resources efficiently, reduce emissions and ensure health and safety on the construction site. In addition, measures are being implemented to take into account the interests of local residents and the neighbourhood. The construction site has been certified in accordance with the DGNB ‘Sustainable Construction Site’ standard.

Further information on the DGNB system for sustainable construction sites can be found here: https://www.dgnb-system.de/de/gebaeude/baustelle/

Selected measures within the project