School as a Place of Life
What does a good school for learning look like? The exhibition showcases outstanding school building projects from Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland that combine innovative educational and architectural concepts.
Buildings usually have a clear functional purpose, which is reflected in their design – a house provides private space for daily life, an office building facilitates productive collaboration among many people, and prestigious buildings serve politics, administration, or culture. But what does a good school for learning actually look like? The exhibition "School as a Place to Live" brings outstanding international school building projects to the Hamburg Architecture Salon.
Exemplary projects from Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland are presented, which uniquely integrate educational and architectural concepts. Contrary to the familiar typology of individual classrooms lined up along a corridor, the exhibition presents spatially innovative projects closely linked to future-oriented pedagogy. In particular, the influence of the spatial framework on learning situations is discussed. How does architecture create inspiring environments and atmospheres that foster community and positively support the absorption and processing of information?
What characterizes contemporary educational models, and what quality of space, equipment, and design is required? What experiments are educators and architects undertaking on the path to self-organized learning? The exhibition presents new construction and renovation projects that contribute to this discussion. Reflecting the diverse preferences and requirements for learning, the projects demonstrate great variety: open learning landscapes, cluster models with a shared learning center, spaces for community as well as quiet retreat. Schools without classrooms!
The exploration of future-oriented school buildings extends beyond the building itself. What influence do successful learning spaces, as multi-purpose buildings, have on the (socio-)spatial development of urban neighborhoods or rural areas? To what extent are other uses enabled alongside lessons or outside of school hours, establishing the building as an integral part of the collective consciousness? Instead of being solely reserved for education, schools can become, in the truest sense of the word, buildings of the community.
Opening: March 19, 2026, 7 p.m.
Renderers: Kristina Bacht, Kirstin Bartels, Christian Gäckle, Susanne Hofmann, Dirk Landwehr, Barbara Pampe, Julian Weyer