A tour of three schools highlighted the progress made on the ground

During a tour led by Paul-Gerhard Weiß, the city’s commissioner for schools and construction, members of the press and city council members were able to see the situation for themselves on site. “Education infrastructure has been particularly close to my heart since 2006. With these ongoing projects, we are moving another step closer to our goal of creating optimal learning conditions for future generations. Instead of holding several separate groundbreaking ceremonies, we wanted to use the tour to provide a single opportunity to see the progress. It is important to inform city council members directly on site. Without their support, many projects could not be implemented,” said Weiß.

The tour began at City Hall and proceeded toward IGS Lindenfeld on Friedensstraße. Here, the second and final phase of construction is underway to add a 4,760-square-meter expansion to the IGS. This phase also includes a cafeteria, which is a key component of the school’s all-day program. Frank Herrgen, project manager at OPG, said on site: “Construction work is currently on schedule. Completion is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. The structural work, as well as the rough installations for building services, roofing, and facade work, have already been completed. Currently, the finishing and detail work, such as flooring, kitchen installation, ceiling work, and the installation of plumbing fixtures, is being carried out.” In the fall of 2024, the project reached its halfway point, and the first construction phase of the new elementary school building—initially designed for 100 children—was completed; the second construction phase will then provide space for an additional 100 children. The total planned costs currently amount to approximately 31.1 million euros. The historic main building on Friedensstraße is enclosed in a U-shape by the new construction. Currently, 850 students attend the IGS, including those in the elementary level. “The expansion work prioritizes environmentally friendly construction methods and versatile usage options so that future generations can be educated according to the latest standards. An important design goal is also to prevent overheating in the summer through an adaptation concept that includes ventilation and nighttime cooling in the building, as well as elements of the sponge city concept in the open space,” explains Xenia Kooiker, project manager at the Office of Planning and Construction. “The students are very receptive to the new building and the changes in the schoolyard. It’s certainly not always easy to carry out construction work while school is in session.”

The group of about 25 people then took a bus to the Geschwister-Scholl-Schule in the Bieber neighborhood. Since December 2021, construction work has been underway there in several phases—while the school remains open—to renovate and expand the facility. Thanks to the construction project, the school now has space for six parallel classes per grade level, up from four previously. After the large replacement building with four grade clusters was completed by summer 2024, renovation work on the atrium building was finished in fall 2025. Ten school classes have since returned to learning in the two-story building. “It was particularly important that students and teachers feel more comfortable in the building—this has been visibly and audibly improved. New sound-absorbing elements under the high ceiling of the atrium ensure significantly better acoustics, especially during events,” explains Astrid Reese, project manager at the Office of Planning and Construction. Desiree de Visser, project manager at OPG, adds: “In the classrooms, the wood wool acoustic panels on the ceilings help students follow lessons more easily and create a pleasant learning environment. This was complemented by a modern decentralized ventilation system.” The specialized classroom building for science, art, music, and crafts is scheduled to be renovated by mid-2027.

During the tours, Weiß and the planning team from the Office of Planning and Construction, along with the OPG, discussed future plans. For example, the Anne Frank, Goethe, Friedrich Ebert, Mauerfeld, Lauterborn, and Uhland schools are slated for the expansion of all-day programs. Plans for these schools include additional care and recreation rooms for all-day operations, as well as cafeterias.

The final stop was about a 14-minute drive away. The Ernst-Reuter School in the Rumpenheim neighborhood celebrated the completion of its new building for approximately 300 elementary school students this spring. To welcome the visitors, some children expressed their joy and gratitude for the new building with a musical performance. Their singing and dancing even moved some guests to tears. According to current cost estimates, the city of Offenbach has invested around 30.5 million euros in this accessible learning facility. The three-story school building, featuring green roofs and photovoltaic panels on the pitched roofs, adjoins the main IGS building to the south and was constructed using sustainable hybrid building methods. The ground floor is available to the entire school community. The building houses the all-day care program, the school library, and the art room. The classrooms on the two upper floors are organized into grade clusters. Three classrooms per grade, along with specialized learning spaces, are grouped around a “learning corridor” equipped with seating platforms and steps.

A total of 850 children and teenagers currently attend the Integrated Comprehensive School. During a tour of the building, Jan Büttner, project manager at OPG, explained: “Extensions and renovations are currently underway on the existing building to ensure, among other things, good connectivity with the new building. In addition, a new building with a multipurpose room is being constructed on the expanded schoolyard.” Andres Bäppler from the Office of Planning and Construction adds: “Looking ahead, the IGS will be able to accommodate up to 1,070 students by the end of 2027, at which point construction work will also be completed while school operations continue.”