Play and break zone in the LIPA Burg/Spreewald children’s and learning center (Buether)
Creating Engaging Play and Learning Spaces
The building is located within the UNESCO-protected biosphere reserve, in the immediate vicinity of the Spreewald, the spa gardens, and the existing school buildings in Burg, with which it is also linked both structurally and in terms of its educational mission. The LIPA Children’s and Learning Center serves as an elementary school and after-school care facility for the expansion and implementation of high-quality full-day programs, while during school breaks, additional programs for visiting children complement the tourist infrastructure of the municipality of Burg. The model project exemplifies both the sustainable and ecologically conscious use of building materials and techniques, as well as the further development of local identity in the architectural and landscape character of the Spreewald cultural region. The educational concept also supports the preservation of Wendish-Sorbian cultural customs, allowing children on vacation to experience these cultural characteristics not as “museum artifacts,” but as a place where regional traditions are actively upheld.
Learning and playing together under one large roof
The interior and exterior spaces merge beneath the large grass roof that rises from the Spreewald meadow. Inside, the large green roof remains visible as a wooden support structure. The building’s undulating form offers children a sense of security, a spatially nuanced connection to the landscape, and the opportunity to identify with it. The undulating roofscape echoes the regional forms of the area’s large, landscape-integrated buildings.
The structural framework, furniture, and installations demonstrate the function
. Children can clearly see, touch, and understand all of the house’s structural, technical, and ecological concepts. The roof’s truss structure illustrates the flow of forces; the solid walls demonstrate the thermal mass of the clay bricks; the roof showcases rainwater management; and the exposed cabling and transparent light fixtures make the energy cycle visible.
A Sense of Security and Curiosity
Everyone opens up more easily in familiar spaces than in unfamiliar or strange environments. Atmospheres convey meanings that can be either negative or positive. The atmosphere of play and learning spaces should convey a sense of security to children and young people while also sparking their interest in new experiences. The balance between the familiar and the unfamiliar must be re-evaluated for each task based on the specific context and developed in collaboration with the people on site.
Sustainable design promotes environmental awareness
Extensive green roofs create new habitats for plants and animals, thereby helping to improve the local climate. Dust and exhaust fumes are absorbed by plants and moisture. The green roof retains large amounts of rainfall and releases the moisture specifically to the plants. This helps reduce heating costs in the winter while creating a pleasant indoor climate in the summer. The contemporary architecture of the green roof was constructed using a wooden support structure, which demonstrates new approaches to the further development of local building traditions and utilizes building materials from the region. The wall structures are made of solid Poroton bricks to ensure optimal thermal insulation while maintaining the material’s breathability and guaranteeing a pleasant, healthy indoor climate. In this spirit, mineral-based plasters and paints were also used, which have proven their sustainability through a long service life, good aging properties, and resistance to mechanical stress. The floor surfaces are covered with environmentally friendly linoleum.
Designing Learning Environments
Three different shades of green on the walls in each room, in various variations, with the intensity of the color responding to the lighting conditions and the orientation of the rooms. The lightest shade was always a greenish white, which served as the reference point. As the seasons change, the rooms evoke the atmosphere of spring. The color accents on the coat racks, cabinets, shelves, and information boards help the children find their way around the building. Untreated spruce wood was used for the load-bearing structure of the facades and the roof to help the children understand the concept of structural support. For the same reason, the columns and stairs were constructed of exposed concrete.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA 
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA 
Project Manager, LIPA Burg Children’s Center
Architect and Designer: Axel Buether (preliminary design with Minka Kersten and Johannes Sierig)
Project Manager: Heike Krauss
Client: Municipality of Burg Spreewald
Project Coordination: Architekturwerkstatt Cottbus
Construction Management: Schicht & Grundmann Engineering Office
Structural Engineering: Eisenloffel Sattler und Partner
Project publications:
March 5, 2009 “Treehouse in Burger Inaugurated for 170 Children,” Lausitzer Rundschau
March 8, 2009 “Inauguration of the LIPA Children’s and Learning Center,” Märkische Bote
March 7, 2009 “Inauguration of the LIPA Children’s and Learning Center,” Lausitz am Sonntag
March 10, 2009 “Dom Zisi a kublanja Lipa,” Sorbian weekly newspaper NOWY CASNIK
March 11, 2009 “Children Take Over Their Learning Center,” Wochenkurier,
March 14, 2009 “A Linden Tree for the LIPA Children’s and Learning Center,” Spree-Neiße-Kurier,
