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The extension to the Elisabethschule Support Centre (FZE) in Vechta is growing: the walls of the third construction phase are up and the roof is being insulated.

Let's rewind a few weeks: in perfect late summer weather, it was worth taking a look at the construction site ‘in miniature’, i.e. from above. The walls of the third construction phase are currently being erected here. While the carpentry work is underway in the third building block, the electrical and ventilation systems are already being installed in the first two parts of the building.

The 200 children and young people who attend the FZE have different special educational needs. We have planned all areas with high standards of accessibility and inclusion in mind – as can be seen in the wide corridors and rounded corners of the floor plan in the third construction phase.

Photo: Caspar Sessler

The new Fischbek-Falkenberg district school in Hamburg has been in operation since the start of the new school year. Although the final exterior work is still ongoing, the building has already passed its ‘test’. The large student body and teaching staff have settled into the spacious, modern premises and feel right at home.

The new main entrance to the school campus is striking: the three-storey brick building opens up invitingly onto the street and welcomes visitors into the building. With 24 classrooms, differentiation and special rooms, half a sports field and a daycare centre, the new district school building is a busy place.

We wish the pupils and teachers an exciting school year in the new building!

Photo: Caspar Sessler

The structural work on the first phase of the extension to the Elisabethschule Support Centre (FZE) in Vechta has been completed: the first block of the single-storey building has been erected on the construction site, revealing the pure timber construction. Two further blocks will be connected to the first like stepping stones, simultaneously dividing the extension into its various school functions.

As a particularly sustainable construction project, the extension is to be certified as a ‘climate-friendly new building – non-residential building’ (KFNWG) with the Sustainable Building Quality Seal (QNG) and DGNB Gold certification upon completion.

Photo: Caspar Sessler

29 June 2025 is Architecture Day across Germany: the Lower Saxony Chamber of Architects has nominated our building in Stade – the Camper Höhe secondary school canteen – as one of a total of 99 architectural projects in Bremen and Lower Saxony that will open their doors on this day.

At 10:00, 11:00 and 13:00, interested parties can take a guided tour with employees from our architectural firm to get a look behind the scenes of the cafeteria:

The largest school cafeteria in northern Germany is connected to the school building and can also be accessed from outside via the schoolyard. A striking bracket in matt anthracite is a feature of the architectural design, which spans the dining hall like a protective hand – and at the same time defines a new urban corner and meeting place. As an open space with large glazed areas and coloured elements, the dining hall is multifunctional within the school and can also be used for municipal events.

Sustainable not only in its use, but also in its construction: the building was designed as an Efficiency House 55, with the opaque exterior components built to passive house standards. It is equipped with an insect-friendly green roof and wood chip heating for ecological heat supply.

Architecture Day 2025:

29 June 2025, guided tours at 10:00, 11:00 and 13:00

Canteen at Camper Höhe Secondary School, Timm-Kröger-Str. 15, 21680 Stade

Further information: Lower Saxony Chamber of Architects

We won second prize in the competition for a new floodplain observation tower, organised by the city of Lippstadt. The new tower is part of the NaturTalenteLippe project, which aims to raise awareness of the Lippe floodplain landscape as a special place for nature conservation and tourism.

We have designed a viewing tower that is not only an architectural highlight, but also a significant landmark and an important meeting place for nature and sports enthusiasts. In doing so, we have placed great emphasis on accessibility and sustainability. The concept behind the new floodplain observation tower is reflected in the guiding principle of using an organic and dynamic form to echo the gentle curves of the Lippe and showcase them vertically. The tower has four viewing platforms that rise to different heights above the landscape. Nesting boxes for birds from the Lippe floodplains are concealed in the tower façade.

The jury's assessment states: ‘The individual platforms allow for a high quality of stay both during the ascent and descent and are connected by an internal spiral staircase. The work has a high degree of design uniqueness that playfully integrates itself into the context.’

We are delighted to have won second prize, together with our competition team partner DREWES+SPETH from Hanover.

The new year is still young – and we have already celebrated: the German Design Awards 2025 ceremony was a great occasion to once again honour our successful buildings and their project teams: the Fuchsbau daycare centre in Norderstedt and the canteen at the Camper Höhe secondary school are winners in the ‘Excellent Architecture’ category.

As with any good project, the creation and implementation of these award-winning educational buildings was a clear team effort – we would also like to thank all the trades involved in the implementation.

The jury of international experts stated:

"The daycare centre impresses with its harmonious combination of sustainable construction and child-friendly design. The hybrid timber construction, built to passive house standards, blends seamlessly into its surroundings and offers a safe, protected environment that meets the children's play and learning needs. Particularly noteworthy is the successful integration of organic forms, which create a flowing transition between the interior and exterior spaces." (GDA 2025 on the Fuchsbau daycare centre)

‘The new building for the Camper Höhe secondary school canteen not only creates a functional space for the school community, but also enriches the urban environment with its modern, dynamic design. The harmonious integration of large glass surfaces creates an inviting atmosphere and underlines the versatility of this location, which is also used for external events.’ (GDA 2025 on the Camper Höhe secondary school canteen)

• To the Fuchsbau daycare centre at the German Design Awards 2025
  

• To the Stade canteen at the German Design Awards 2025

Home game for our architectural firm: the extension of the Roter Sand secondary school in Bremen-Woltmershausen has completed the shell construction phase. We celebrated the topping-out ceremony and inspected the premises together with guests from the school and the client. Andreas Schneider, Wencke Morisse and Ingo Gärtner were there as the project team.

We are planning the extension of the secondary school for Immobilien Bremen AöR, which will accommodate two complete year clusters, each with five classes and associated areas. The ‘marketplace’ will be the centre, meeting place, break area and learning space for the students – and is already recognisable as a spacious room. A nursing bathroom for inclusive needs and communal areas such as an exercise room, auditorium and cafeteria are also planned.

Together with the client, Immobilien Bremen AöR, we would like to express our gratitude for the excellent work on the construction site in the south of Bremen.

About the project: Extension of the Roter Sand secondary school

Honourable Mention in the Architectural Design – Educational Buildings category for the ‘Fuchsbau’: Our office has received another award: at the BLT Design Award 2024.

As an internationally renowned award, the Built Design Award honours outstanding projects in the fields of architecture and design every year. Over 800 entries from 57 countries were received in 2024. The Honourable Mention recognises our commitment to innovative educational buildings that create sustainable solutions for the architecture of new buildings and modern learning and play environments.

‘An architect should strike a perfect balance between creative expression and functionality; architecture is taking the intended project use, such as the lifestyle and preferences of the occupants, then shaping these, translating and executing until a final form is achieved, based on the times, beliefs, and education.’ (BLT Award)

About our project

We are incredibly proud of two German Design Awards 2025.

The Fuchsbau daycare centre in Norderstedt and the Camper Höhe secondary school canteen in Stade have each received an award as ‘Winners’ in the ‘Excellent Architecture’ category.

The German Design Award is the German Design Council's premier prize and is

one of the most prestigious awards in the design landscape in the fields of product, communication and architecture, both across industries and internationally. Since 2012, the German Design Award has been identifying significant design trends, presenting them to a broad public and honouring them. In a nomination process, expert committees of the German Design Council invite only those projects to participate in the competition that demonstrably stand out for their design quality and meet the highest standards. All awards are determined in a multi-stage judging process and during a two-day jury meeting.

The German Design Award's ‘Winner’ award recognises outstanding and exemplary design achievements. At the German Design Award 2025, 48% of submissions were international, coming from 59 countries.

An award with international appeal!

More about the German Design Award

Extension building right on schedule: We reached a milestone before Christmas and laid the foundation stone for the extension of the Elisabethschule Support Centre (FZE) in Vechta. The construction project is the largest school building project in the district of Vechta and is being funded by the state of Lower Saxony.

During the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone, District Administrator Tobias Gerdesmeyer, together with pupils, teachers and project participants, placed a time capsule in the building. Our project team, consisting of Manuela Neunaber, Aintzane del Río Pereda and Andreas Schneider, presented the project in Vechta: the single-storey new building will house nine classrooms with associated group rooms, differentiation and therapy rooms, and learning landscapes, as well as the new canteen and a teaching kitchen. The construction period for the school extension is estimated at two years.

About the project

We were awarded the contract for the expansion of the Deichhorst primary school and the Waldorf kindergarten in Delmenhorst in a negotiated procedure.

The primary school is to be expanded from a three- to a four-grade school with the extension to all-day schooling. In the same measure, the Waldorf kindergarten, which is directly adjacent to the school property, is to be enlarged by two additional groups. The new building will be constructed between the two existing buildings and will integrate the canteen, a class cluster and other rooms of the primary school as well as the new rooms of the kindergarten on the ground floor.

Architecturally and in terms of its materiality and colour, the new building is based on the surrounding nature and develops a design language that is appropriate for the respective user group. We look forward to a successful cooperation with all those involved!

We are gratified about two new contracts we have been awarded: the Elisabeth School in Vechta and the Business School in Lohne are to be expanded over the next few years, and our concepts were successful in both these procurement procedures.

The new building on the campus of the Elisabeth School in Vechta will accommodate ten classes and provide associated group rooms, differentiation rooms and therapy rooms as well as a landscape for learning in the corridors. The new structure takes its cue from the existing buildings and is composed of three compact cubes joined together. Projections and recesses are produced that break up the large mass of the building and make the structure look as if it is made of smaller parts. The roof landscape comprising three uniform hipped roofs visually match those of the existing buildings and the neighbouring Ludgerus School.

The new building and ensemble on Schelllohner Weg is designed as the new heart and new entrance of the Lohne Business School. The assembly hall and school administration structure to be built here blends into the ensemble as a whole, while the shape of the building pays due respect to the existing buildings. A stronger link is forged between the school and the urban space around it.

We won third prize in the international competition for a new 160-hectare residential area in the north of Schönefeld. This complex assignment involved nothing less than developing a concept for a new small town that harmonises in town planning terms with its surroundings. The key focal areas were sustainability and building culture, energy, the creation of affordable housing and open space qualities, functional mix, community life, local district culture and new mobility needs.

The jury’s verdict shows that we clearly succeeded in that endeavour: ‘This entry to the competition is compelling in its urban planning, landscape planning and transport planning entirety.’

We are delighted about this success and also wish to thank our external planners for their great input:

Anke Deeken - Büro für Architektur Stadt- und Freiraumplanung Lichtplanung (open space planning)
Masuch + Olbrisch Ingenieurgesellschaft für das Bauwesen (transport planning)
Monath + Menzel (model)
moka-studio (visualisation)

Our new building for the automotive wing of the Adolf Kolping School in Lohne, where the focus is on electromobility, is not only an exemplary construction project for contemporary and sustainable educational architecture, but also has a lot to offer in terms of architectural design. We are delighted that this project has been selected by the Lower Saxony Chamber of Architects for presentation at this year’s Architecture Day on Sunday 26 June 2022.

On this day, we offer three guided tours on site with the project manager, architect Ingo Gärtner M.A., and cordially invite all interested parties to become better acquainted with the building.

The tours start at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm, the meeting point is at the main entrance of the school at Klapphakenstrasse 22, 49393 Lohne.

Article in the Oldenburgische Volkszeitung

This year we are celebrating our 25th year in business. On 1 April 1997, after notching up some noteworthy successes in competitions, Andreas Schneider set up his own firm of architects in Bremen, initially in collaboration with Lepère & Partners, an office for landscape architecture and urban planning. From 2001, the firm carved out a position for itself by implementing a 50 million Euro project for Schneider’s professor in Bremen, Otto Steidle, and the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, as well as some educational architecture projects. ‘andreas schneider architekten GmbH & Co. KG’ was then launched in 2008.

The focus of our work today is on a wide range of newbuilding and renovation projects for the public sector, especially educational architecture, highly demanding urban development assignments and competitions, as well as individual projects close to our hearts.

A staff of 16 is currently active and creative at our offices in Bremen and Hamburg. Thanks to today’s networked world, one of our former trainees now works for us as a draughtswoman from her home in Hungary. Architect Ingo Gärtner recently joined our management team to future-proof the firm’s foundations.

This success story would not have been possible without our loyal clients and business partners. So it’s high time for us to say a gigantic THANK YOU for the trust and confidence shown in us and for your loyalty over the years!

‘andreas schneider architekten’ looks forward eagerly to every new assignment and challenge.
How come? Because we’ve been building the future for the last 25 years.

Watch our anniversary video on Youtube!

In the ‘Bremen Portraits’ series in DAB (Deutsches Architektenblatt, the German architects’ journal), Andreas Schneider talks about the path taken by his office, current opportunities and challenges in everyday planning operations, as well as visions for the future and projects particularly close to his heart.

Read the article

The ‘Camper Höhe’ secondary intermediate school in Stade is being restructured as an all-day school. This also involves building a canteen for 500 school students, in the form of an extension from an existing foyer. Completion is scheduled for July 2023.

After just three years of planning and construction, including the demolition of the old school building, the new building for the Adolf Kolping vocational school with automotive workshop and classroom wing has been ceremonially inaugurated. It provides a modern, attractive environment for working and learning and boasts superb technical facilities. The workshop is ideally adapted to the growing changeover to electromobility. The new building also delivers on sustainability – a photovoltaic system was installed on the main tract, and the workshop roof was also greened.

Mr Winkel, the District Administrator, emphasised the enormous importance of extending the vocational school’s facilities – ‘This is a special day for Lohne as an educational centre, and indeed for the entire rural district of Vechta.’ He also made the point that well-trained skilled workers are an enrichment for the regional economy. Around 11.35 million Euro were invested in the project by the rural district of Vechta.

We wish to express our thanks for the confidence shown in us and for the close and constructive collaboration on the part of all those involved!

‘Architecture shapes the future’ is the banner slogan for this year’s Architecture Day. You’d like to know what a future designed by architects looks like? Then we’d be delighted to present two of our firm’s projects to you: in Schleswig-Holstein on 12 and 13 June, and in Lower Saxony on 27 June.

Those wishing to become acquainted with the new administration building for the Waterways and Shipping Authority in Stade, we are offering two guided tours outdoors on site with the Project Manager, Architect Ingo Gärtner M.A. – on Sunday, 27 June 2021 at 12 noon and 2 pm.

The meeting point is the main entrance to the administration building at Altländer Straße 4, 21682 Stade.

You can also get an impression of the building and the planning process is this newly produced video.

We were awarded the contract in the negotiated procedure for the extension of the Roter Sand secondary school in Bremen. The school is to be increased from four to five classes per age group by means of an extension providing around 2,600 square metres of gross floor space. Modifications of the existing buildings are also planned so that pupils with cognitive and developmental disabilities can also be given inclusive schooling. In the procedure for public contracts, we were able to convince with a strong concept for extending and restructuring the school in a way that preserves the unified design of the overall ensemble. We are looking forward to this new assignment!

The Weser Kurier newspaper has reported on the presentation to the planning committee of our new design principles for the town centre of Osterholz-Scharmbeck. The aim was to create an urban planning instrument for securing and planning design quality in order to make the town centre fit for the future. The result met with a positive response from the committee.

Read the article

A new residential district is being created in the historic centre of Levern, with an identity characterised by neighbourhood clusters that foster communication. The guiding concept behind the design is the fundamental diversity in its types of use, its building development, its outdoor spaces and its interconnections.

Neighbourhood clusters allow for an arrangement of different house types in manageable units that permit a diversity of ways and intensities with which that people can meet. ‘The respective courtyards are formed by different types of building, such as detached villas, apartment blocks and subsidised housing. This creates a very social structure with good residential quality and an identity of its own within the courtyard communities,’ was the jury’s opinion when awarding the prize. The quarter is also characterised by a forward-looking energy and mobility concept.

In the jury’s final verdict, ‘The design creates an autonomous language and idea, all in all, and due to its granularity blends harmoniously into the existing local structure.’

In the design competition for the construction of the new town hall in the historic centre of Bakum, the jury recognised with an award our modern, organic building concept. Particular praise was given to the consistent development from the interior to the exterior, and to openness and transparency as the essential qualities of the design. The reasons for the award stated that ‘The easily found entrance area is open, transparent, inviting, can be looked into well from the forecourt of the town hall, and thanks to its pleasant separation from the car park is entered by visitors like a central market square.’