Emma Onchulenko

Knowledge is power. Old School, New School? Reimagining the Learning Process in Kreuzberg, Germany. 

This research will look at how Architecture can address the needs of children in a learning environment. Specifically, how innovation and intentional design can be curated to fit specific ages and cater to the individual within a general education system. Children are the future. The spaces they inhabit should be curated to provide positive formative experiences for all learning types. 

The thesis goal is to create a prototype for a “new school”, in an old space, that can accommodate diverse learning styles with emphasis on hands-on, self-directed education. This school will be located in Kreuzberg, Germany. Kreuzberg is of interest because it was once part of West Berlin (a democratic city inside a communist country) at the edge of the city and, when the wall came down, became the heart of Berlin and centrally connected.1 Kreuzberg consist of a series of cemetery’s, churches, industrial buildings and rail lines. Berlin is a dynamic city and European hub that attracts an international population from different cultures, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds.2 A Waldorf school, which originated in Germany, typically includes ages 4-18.3 It is an alternative learning system that incorporates a more hands on approach with the inclusion of; flexible learning environments, creative spaces, areas for art, dance, and movement that aim to connect children to nature, body and spirit.4 Waldorf education also known as “Free schools” were coined by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, who believed everyone should have access to free, inclusive, and hands on education.5

I will create a facility that will fit within the communities existing buildings, to accommodate multiple cultures, religions, and multiple definitions of success in education. I will create new spaces in existing places and provide for diverse learning styles. I will investigate alternative ways of learning in other places around the world. I will research primary schools with a focus on Rudolf Steiners concepts and Waldorf schools’ methods. Children are the pulse of a thriving and growing city and the spaces they inhabit should be curated to promote learning for all learning types. 

1. Erin Porter, Every Berlin Neighbourhood You Need to Know, TripSavvy, June 26, 2019, Accessed September 20, 2023, https://www.tripsavvy.com/berlin-germany-neighborhood-guide-4140486. 

2. Tourism Berlin, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, District in Berlin [VisitBerlin.de.], Accessed September 17 2023, https://www.visitberlin.de/en/be irk everyone/friedrichshain-kreuzberg.

3. Francis Edmunds, Rudolf Steiner Education, the Waldorf Schools, Rev. and enl, London: R. Steiner Press, 1979.

4. Bo Dahlin, Rudolf Steiner: The Relevance of Waldorf Education. Cham: Springer International PublishingAG, 2017.

5. The International Association for Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Education, IASWECE, 2023, Accessed September 20, 2023, https://iaswece.org/en/.