New municipal school in growing Rangsdorf

“Our primary schools are now overcrowded. Since 2003, we have expanded from one to two schools, but the capacity is no longer sufficient. In addition, we need a new sports hall and new athletics facilities to meet the needs of our secondary schools,” says Klaus Rocher, Mayor of Rangsdorf.

In collaboration with the town of Rangsdorf, Hemsö is developing a new 8,000-square-meter secondary school with space for 220 students, as well as a sports hall, a sports field, and a youth center. The sports field and schoolyard cover a land area of 36,000 square meters.

“According to forecasts from the state of Brandenburg, the number of students was expected to decline, which meant that financial support from them was minimal. Traditional loan financing would have placed a long-term economic burden on the municipality. By involving a private investor, we can now lease the school, reducing our financial strain while still being able to develop the necessary social infrastructure,” says Klaus Rocher.

The collaboration with Hemsö was chosen after a public procurement process where clear criteria such as functionality, price, construction time, and quality were considered. Hemsö’s experience and concept best matched the municipality’s requirements. Additionally, Hemsö was able to meet the project’s ambitious timeline.

The area where the school is being built presents certain challenges, including heritage protection, contamination remediation, and species protection.

Do you think this project could serve as a model for other municipalities?

“That depends on the individual circumstances—municipalities have different financial resources. For us, the best option was to carry out a public construction project with a private investor,” says Klaus Rocher.

The residents of Rangsdorf have generally responded positively to the project. The municipality has built trust through open communication and examples from other projects.

“I believe most people understand the need for the project and our pragmatic approach. We have not received any complaints,” says Klaus Rocher.

Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2025, with completion expected in summer 2026. The school will be certified according to DGNB Gold standards.