Topping-Out Ceremony for the New Building of the Center for Teacher Education and Educational Research (ZeLB) at the University of Potsdam

On the Golm campus of the University of Potsdam, which is part of the Potsdam Science Park, the BLB is constructing, by the end of 2026, specialist and practical training rooms, workshops, a studio, a teaching kitchen, seminar rooms, and a lecture hall for 150 students to support practice-oriented teacher education. Construction costs are budgeted at approximately €35 million.

Minister of Science Dr Manja Schüle:
“With today’s topping-out ceremony on the University campus in Golm, anticipation is growing for the new building of the Center for Teacher Education and Educational Research – not only for me, but especially for students, teaching staff, and researchers. With this building, research-based, academically oriented teacher education at the University of Potsdam will receive the home it needs to take its work to a new level. I am certain that ZeLB will develop into a place where innovative and inclusive, digital and sustainable education is shaped – practice-oriented and future-focused, in exchange and on equal footing with partners such as campus schools and digital labs as well as stakeholders from administration and politics. All the best for the further progress of construction!”

State Secretary of the Interior Frank Stolper:
“On 26 May 2025 – that is, 262 days ago – we carried out the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Center for Teacher Education and Educational Research (ZeLB). With today’s topping-out ceremony, we are moving a great deal closer to providing the necessary space for teacher training at the University of Potsdam. A new building with high ecological, economic, social, and technical qualities is being created here. Construction progress is proceeding so swiftly that we will be able to hand over the building to its future users by the end of 2026. My special thanks go to all the trades involved and to the Brandenburg State Enterprise for Real Estate and Construction.”

Vice President for Teaching, Studies and Europe at the University of Potsdam, Dr Britta van Kempen:
“We are very pleased that, with the new building, we will for the first time receive a central location for our highly important teacher education. Hardly any other area has such an impact across the entire university and connects educational science theory with pedagogical practice. The building now taking shape will open up new spaces for the exchange required for this: creative spaces for the development of modern teaching concepts that we aim to test together. Whether inclusion, digitalization, or sustainability – optimally preparing teacher education students for the major challenges in education requires the interaction of university studies, preparatory service, and school practice. In this spirit, we will quickly bring the new building to life.”

The U-shaped building with four floors was designed by the architectural firm agn Niederberghaus & Partner GmbH and is being constructed by Goldbeck Nordost GmbH as general contractor. The building has been inserted at the southern end of the campus between the seven-story Building 14 and Building 31. Its alignment runs parallel to Building 31 and thus follows the southern building line of the neighboring structures.

The new building will be partially basemented and will include a technical rooftop level. The ventilated curtain façade will be clad with brick typical of Brandenburg. External shading elements in front of the windows provide summer heat protection. The interior color concept, ranging from anthracite to yellow, supports barrier-free orientation.

Sustainability

Planning, construction, and procurement are being carried out in accordance with the objectives for sustainable building under the BNB Silver standard for new construction projects. Environmentally friendly and low-emission building materials and products are being used.

A comprehensive component catalogue records, for example, the durability of materials, ease of maintenance, dismantling capability, and cleaning parameters. Through a measurement and monitoring concept for the technical systems, the building can be operated in an energy-optimized manner.

The building will be operated sustainably using two air-cooled heat pumps and will not be integrated into the local district heating network. The required air quality in the lecture hall, workshop, and teaching kitchen will be ensured by two ventilation systems. To improve the annual primary energy demand, a photovoltaic system with a total capacity of 20 kilowatt-peak will be installed on the roof of the building.

Accessibility

The key pathway connections on the site surrounding the new building are equipped with a visually contrasting tactile guidance system and continue inside the building. All publicly accessible areas can be reached barrier-free via the centrally located elevator. Door openings measure at least 90 centimeters. In coordination with the University of Potsdam, two wheelchair-accessible office rooms have been arranged on each floor. The seminar rooms and the lecture hall provide designated spaces for wheelchair users.

Further information
Further figures, data, and facts about the project can be found on the BLB website. Information on the Sustainable Building Assessment System (BNB) is available at:
https://www.bnb-nachhaltigesbauen.de/

About the BLB

The State of Brandenburg is the largest public client in Brandenburg. The BLB performs tasks for the state administration of Brandenburg in the areas of construction, real estate, and portfolio management. As owner, it manages large parts of the state’s real estate assets and simultaneously acts as landlord. The BLB plans and implements public building projects for the state and the federal government (e.g. universities, courts and correctional facilities, police buildings, tax offices, and Bundeswehr facilities) as well as other public institutions in the State of Brandenburg. It also organizes the vehicle fleet of the general state administration of Brandenburg.