The new container building of the German School of Budapest

The German School of Budapest is so successful that the need to expand its facilities arose once again. Due to the start of the new school year, a rapid response was required, so an existing container building was rethought to a higher standard, with increased capacity and an architectural character attuned to the built and natural environment, while minimising the impact on the surroundings.

Surveying the surrounding trees to ensure that they would not be threatened by the development was a major consideration in the design. This study of the position and condition of the trees influenced the planning, and the contour of the terrace was made to follow the position of the trees.

How did creating the new building unit become sustainable? The columns of the previous container building on the site could be reused in the new one, while its other elements found new purposes elsewhere. As only a minimal amount of concrete was needed, CO₂ emissions were drastically reduced. The designers calculated that constructing a building with the same characteristics using reinforced concrete would have released so much CO₂ that it would have taken 101 trees a hundred years to offset.