Gymnasium Brügelmannstrasse
An icon of sustainable education
This German school is raising the bar and lowering emissions
In Cologne, Germany, an iconic new school building is helping to revitalize an industrial neighborhood. Gymnasium Brügelmannstrasse is setting new standards in sustainable design for educational environments, while addressing the city’s urgent need for more schools.
Holcim provided its sustainable building solutions, ECOPact and ECOCycle®, for the construction of this pioneering project, helping reduce embodied carbon during the construction process and contributing to making concrete a circular building solution.
Bringing new life to the neighborhood
Where a gravel parking lot once served as an eyesore, now stands a first-class school. Around 1,000 students will be able to benefit from this state-of-the art complex, helping to address Cologne’s school shortage. This project will underpin the development of the industrial area where it is located, allowing the surrounding community to flourish.
A sustainable city is a livable city. That’s why Gymnasium Brügelmannstrasse includes green roofs and facades, which helps improve local air quality, as well as bring beauty to the area. This school is setting new standards for what educational facilities can be across Germany.
Setting new standards
Gymnasium Brügelmannstrasse embraces sustainability at every level. The project achieved the DGNB Platinum Standard, the German Sustainability Building Council’s highest award for environmental performance. Holcim’s ECOPact concrete contributed to this certification, thanks to its Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) label.
In addition to its sustainable construction, the school is equipped with state-of-the-art air conditioning technology and a solar power system that supplies renewable and cost-effective electricity. The school’s heat pump converts geothermal energy directly into heat, reducing the building's energy requirements.
Bringing in new partnerships
Cologne is facing a school shortage and limited building capacity. This has led city leaders to develop new solutions to address this urgent need. The city is commissioning private developers like Ulrich Beckmann Real Estate (UBRE) to build schools. Ulrich Beckmann has become a patron of the city thanks to his interconnectedness with it, He has traditionally focused on manufacturing jewelry and accessories, but is now looking to give back to the community. His real estate group now marks a new venture, taking on the challenge of building schools.
For the actual construction, UBRE worked with ZÜBLIN, one of Germany’s largest construction companies. Thanks to ZÜBLIN’s commitment to sustainable construction and long-term relationship with Holcim, the project used 17,500 m3 of ECOPact concrete with ECOCycle® inside, reducing embodied emissions and saving primary resources. Close partnerships across the value chain are key to meeting the city’s needs.
Bringing circularity to the building process
Gymnasium Brügelmannstrasse was built using Holcim’s ECOPact, the world’s broadest range of low-carbon concrete. In addition, the ECOPact used in this project contained ECOCycle®, Holcim’s circularity technology, which turns construction demolition materials into new building solutions, helping to close the material loop in construction. More than 21,000 m3 of ECOPact were used in all.
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