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ein Altbau mit modernen Anbau an eine Straßenecke

Three New Buildings – One School. A Historic Campus Grows

  • Education + Sport
  • New Construction
  • Existing Buildings
  • Sustainability
  • Historic Preservation
  • Accessibility + Inclusion
  • Participation

Located in Frankfurt’s Sachsenhausen district, the Mühlbergschule is a primary school originally built in 1906. To accommodate nearly twice as many students in the future, the campus has been expanded and restructured through a coordinated architectural intervention: three new buildings, each designed to address specific needs, were added to the site – together forming a cohesive ensemble around the historic core. Developed through a participatory planning process led by Trapez, the project brought together all stakeholders from the outset – helping shape a school that is both architecturally clear and functionally responsive.

Project Type
Expansion, restructuring, and renovation of an elementary school
Location
Frankfurt am Main, Sachsenhausen
Client
Stadtschulamt Frankfurt am Main
Gross Area
3.074 m² (New) / 4.143 m² (Historic)
Service Phases (HOAI)
Phase 0 / 1 – 9
Completion
2022
Partnership
baustatt GmbH, Reinheim, Lph 6 - 8
Moderner Anbau mit dunkler Metallfassade verlängert den Altbau mit Sandsteinfassade

A central challenge was how to integrate these new volumes into a tight urban plot while respecting the listed school building. The solution: three additions placed strategically across the site, each responding to existing building heights and natural topography. One compact structure matches the height of the historic building and houses the day-care program, a cafeteria, and two sports halls. A single-story volume on the schoolyard side uses the site’s elevation change to create a walkable rooftop, preserving outdoor space despite new construction. A third, elevated addition near the entrance completes the trio – adding usable area while maintaining openness and flexibility in the yard.

Zwei Kinder auf einem Schulhof vor einer historischen Brunnenskultur. Im Hintergrund ist ein historisches Schulgebäude
Ein Schulneubau mit dunkler Metallfassade und Schulhof mit Außenmobiliar
Ein Schulneubau mit dunkler Metallfassade und Schulhof. Aus einer großen Galsfassade schein warmes Licht

Arranged around the L-shaped historic schoolhouse, the new buildings frame the original structure – reinforcing its presence while forming a visually and functionally coherent campus. Though contemporary in expression, the additions engage in a material dialogue with the historic building. The façade treatment references the red sandstone, dark slate roof, and rhythmic structure of the original, while large, vertically oriented windows and refined detailing bring a modern clarity to the ensemble.

The three-story building placed at the eastern edge of the site adds one differentiated learning space per floor and acts as a visible marker in the surrounding cityscape – signaling the evolution of the campus.

Kinder spielen im Ganztagesbereich einer Schule auf Podesten, Matten und Höhlen
Kinder in einem bunten Treppenhaus und auf Galerien
Viele Basketbälle auf dem Boden einer Sporthalle. Seitlich sind Glaswände
Ein Innenraum einer Schule mit blumenartigen Tischen und Hockern und Ausblick auf die Stadt
Klassenraum in einem altbau mitgewölbter Decke und großen Fenstern

The heritage-listed school building, constructed in 1906, was carefully restored and now houses administrative functions. Wide hallways were transformed into learning spaces through integrated furniture, and the façade was returned to its original form. Beneath layers of paint from the past century, restorers uncovered the building’s historic color palette, which has been reinstated throughout the stairwells. A striking vertical windowband on the courtyard side was also reconstructed in line with the original plans.

The largest of the new buildings accommodates the school’s day-care and sports programs. A cafeteria including a production kitchen, two sports halls, and spaces for creative play are distributed across four above-ground and two below-ground levels. One gym is located entirely beneath the schoolyard—its presence marked only by a linear skylight that brings daylight into the space below and doubles as a play surface above.

Kinder sitzen und stehen in einer Mensa an langen Tischen. Eine große Glasfassade richtet sich zumn Schulhof
Eine Sporthalle mit hellem Boden, Holzwänden, einer Galerie und einem Oberlicht.
Ein Schulneubau mit dunkler Metallfassade und Schulhof. Eine Treppe führt auf einen höher gelegenen Schulhof

The end result is a precise, confident addition that enters into a respectful dialogue with the existing architecture. The new volumes neither compete with nor mimic the historic building – they frame it, support it, and extend its presence into the present. Through careful material choices, proportional restraint, and spatial intelligence, the intervention brings together past and future into one cohesive campus.

Photo Credits: Meike Hansen, archimage

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