Situated on the outskirts of Madrid where the open countryside begins, the concept for the German School Madrid not only has to provide a fitting design for a German school in Spain, it also requires an effective and intelligent response to this specific local context.
The school is therefore broken down into its five organisational units - kindergarten, primary school, grammar school, school hall and sports area - to develop a school campus with a shared landscaped terrace which acts as the central element of the campus and also provides a view of the open countryside.
Whereas the school hall, with the library and canteen, is situated facing the street as a public building, the individual school buildings are arranged in a star-like pattern in the landscaped complex. Making full use of the existing topography, the individual school buildings are organisationally connected through the shared administrative and teachers' section which is situated beneath the terrace. Each school building has its own outdoor area which supplements the building to create a joint formal unit.
The result is a landscaped and intertwined structure which combines a high degree of spatial differentiation with organisational clarity and the goal of opening the site up to the surrounding landscape.