A new chapter is beginning for the former Karstadt department store in Lübeck. The transitional building, which was used for events, co-working, and meetings instead of retail, is now being transformed. Construction has begun, and starting in 2028, the educational building in the heart of the UNESCO-protected old town will become a “multifunctional center for education, culture, and encounters.” It will provide space for four inner-city high schools: Johanneum, Katharineum, Ernestinenschule, and Oberschule zum Dom. Plans also include areas for cultural events and an underground bicycle parking garage.
The Lübeck-based firm ppp won the negotiation process for the conversion and reprogramming of the building in collaboration with caspar. We supported the project during the ideation phase and the development of the utilization concept and communication. With a total gross floor area of 9,500 m², the educational center will provide urgently needed additional learning spaces. The building combines urban, school, and university spaces. In addition to schools, the music academy, university, technical college, and Offener Kanal Lübeck will use the building.
From retail to public use, from enclosed spaces to permeable urban spaces, and from vacancies to active building blocks of urban development, the start of construction marks the beginning of a long-term process of urban and functional transformation that combines continuity, sustainability, and urban quality.
Here’s to a successful construction phase!
Photo: © caspar.
Visualizations: © ppp/caspar./Paul Trakies
Client: GMHL (Gebäudemanagement der Hansestadt Lübeck)