City provides further funding for work at Mathildenschule
20.11.2025
In order to ensure the planned completion of the renovation work at the Mathildenschule by 2028, the city council is releasing additional funds, subject to the approval of the city councillors. Originally, 24.5 million euros were planned. Today, OPG Offenbacher Projektentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, a subsidiary of Stadtwerke Offenbach, commissioned by the city, expects total costs of around 49.5 million euros for the expansion and renovation. "Construction prices have risen enormously since 2018, which, as with so many other construction projects, is the main reason for the significant adjustment," explains Paul-Gerhard Weiß, Head of Planning and Construction. "However, there is also a new cost driver for this project. Due to a further increase in the number of pupils, additional alternative rooms are now required at the site. We need 2.38 million euros more for this".
Background to the cost explosion
The project resolution was approved by the city councillors in September 2018. Since then, there has been no cost adjustment through a supplementary resolution. "However, the economic situation in the construction sector, which has been on the rise for years, and the additional challenges are clearly visible and the city council and councillors are aware of this. This considerable increase is therefore not entirely unexpected," emphasizes Weiß.
The main reasons for the cost explosion are the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. As a result, prices in the construction industry have been at a very high level in recent years due to very high capacity utilization, a shortage of skilled workers and a shortage of raw materials. The expected price downturn due to the current slowdown in sales has not materialized, making it difficult to forecast construction costs. Against this backdrop, planning offices are often no longer in a position to provide accurate cost estimates.
In addition, the engineers and concrete experts involved discovered unexpected problems during the renovation of the old building. "Serious defects were found in the reinforced concrete structure, which required extensive safety measures. This alone will cost us around five million euros," Weiß continues.
Refurbishment versus new build
The city temporarily halted the project in April 2022 due to cost developments. During this interruption, OPG examined whether only the bare essentials of the existing building could be renovated or whether a complete demolition and new construction would be cheaper. The result was clear: partial refurbishment would not be a sustainable solution due to the refurbishment backlog. A complete demolition would mean relocating the entire school population to an alternative location. In addition, demolishing an entire concrete building would not be justifiable for sustainability reasons. The overall renovation is therefore the most sensible option in terms of CO2 emissions and costs.
New alternative rooms from April 2026
From April 2026, the city will set up eight new container classes on the school grounds, which will provide space for the increased number of schoolchildren during the renovation work. After completion, these can be used flexibly at other schools. This is particularly useful in view of the upcoming measures to implement the legal entitlement to all-day schooling. "For the Mathilden pupils, this means that they can take part in everyday school life on their own school grounds without having to travel long distances. Previously, some classes were temporarily housed in the container facility at IGS Lindenfeld," explains Weiß.
Timetable and financing
The new extension has been in operation since September 2022. The renovation of the old school building is being carried out in two phases: Component B is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2026, while component A will follow by the third quarter of 2028.
Financing will be provided via loans. Originally planned funding was reallocated to other projects due to the delays. The project is being handled by GEO Grüner Eigenbetrieb Offenbach (GEO), which finances sustainable infrastructure projects with a "green promissory bill". The city bundles central infrastructure projects in the areas of education and flood protection in the GEO, which demonstrably make a positive contribution to the environment, climate and society and therefore qualify for this sustainable form of financing.
City invests in education
The city of Offenbach am Main has been continuously investing in modern school and daycare buildings since 2007. The reason for this is the rising number of children and the goal of creating optimal learning conditions for future generations. With pro rata support from the federal and state governments, over 409 million euros have already been invested in the construction and renovation of schools and daycare centers since 2007. Today, more than 60 percent of the approximately 18,800 pupils learn in completely new or fully renovated school buildings. A further 15 percent attend partially renovated facilities, while 5 percent attend schools that are currently being renovated or extended. Of a total of around 2,300 daycare children under the age of 6 in municipal facilities, around 80 percent attend new or completely renovated daycare centers. Construction projects worth around 265 million euros are currently being planned or under construction for schools.
The Building Construction Management department of the Office for Planning and Building is responsible for the measures as the owner's representative and client. It is responsible for the planning and development of the projects. The city council has commissioned OPG Offenbacher Projektentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, a subsidiary of Stadtwerke Offenbach, to manage all refurbishment and new construction projects. OPG implements many urban development projects on behalf of the city. In addition to project management for the construction and renovation of schools and daycare centers, these include the development and marketing of the port area and the Innovation Campus.