Sophienschule Hamburg - A timber hybrid structure that looks into the future

In September 2024 the Archdiocese of Hamburg and Otto Wulff Bauunternehmung GmbH celebrated the completion of the shell of the new Catholic Sophienschule in Hamburg. The three-stream pre- and primary school is being built as a timber hybrid construction combining exposed concrete with a premium exposed timber construction. The project marks a milestone in Otto Wulff Bauunternehmung's young ""timber construction"" field and is supported by the HASSLACHER Group's extensive timber construction expertise.

Project overview

The new building will sit on an approx. 3,600 square metre lot in the Barmbek district and not only offer space for the three-stream primary school, but also for a pre-school and a daycare centre. Once completed, up to 360 children can be taught and supervised there, marking a significant increase over the previous capacity of 240 students.

The new school building comprises a lower level as well as three upper storeys. To optimally use the limited space available, a part of the schoolyard was moved to the roof. This raised exterior area is to be used as a school garden or green classroom in the future, significantly contributing to the facility's pedagogical and dwelling quality.

Special project features

For the realisation of the timber construction, the HASSLACHER Group supplied 400m³ of HASSLACHER glued laminated timber via HASSLACHER Holzbauteile GmbH & Co KG located in Kleinheubach in Germany as well as 19m³ of HASSLACHER cross laminated timber via NORITEC Holzindustrie GmbH located in Stall im Mölltal. Planning and implementation was taken care of by a collaboration with the HASSLACHER Building Solutions team which, together with OTTO WULFF Bauunternehmung GmbH developed a comprehensive weather protection concept. This cooperation and coordination was particularly decisive as OTTO WULFF Bauunternehmung GmbH had only limited timber construction experience beforehand. Assembly was done by OTTO WULFF Bauunternehmung GmbH staff with expert support from Holzbau Hofer GmbH, a subsidiary of the HASSLACHER Group.

The school's shell was completed in a mere four months between June and September 2024, already showcasing the potential of modern, prefabricated timber construction combined with efficient building organisation. Otto Wulff Bauunternehmung GmbH from Hamburg, for whom timber construction represents a comparatively new field of business, served as the project's customer. Architectural planning was courtesy of Hamburg-based Bieling Architekten while the Drewes Speth engineering office from Hanover was responsible for statics and construction. The Archiepiscopal Episcopacy of Hamburg served as the pioneering school building's client.

This successful cooperation underlines the HASSLACHER Group's competence in the field of ecological building projects and showcases the growing interest in timber as a future-proof building material, even when it comes to educational projects. The Sophienschule Hamburg project is an example for the successful combination of innovative architecture, ecological building and future-oriented educational infrastructure true to our maxim "From wood to wonders."