Addressing Space Crunch at New Hohenschönhausen: School Expands with Container Units from 2027
In an effort to address the growing shortage of school places in the Lichtenberg district of Berlin, a temporary solution has been put in place. The unused school containers from Salzmannstraße, previously serving as a cnn for the Seepark primary school, will be relocated to Seehausener Straße in Neu-Hohenschoenhausen.
The decision to move the containers was made by the Lichtenberg district office in September 2025. The container facility, which will provide space for 144 students, was chosen after a thorough site inspection. This pragmatic step is intended to secure local schooling in the district.
The new primary school on the Kluetzer Straße, which will have three wings and accommodate 432 children, is also under development. The state-owned housing company HOWOGE plans to realize this new school in serial timber construction.
The state of Berlin has provided funds from the special fund 'Infrastructure for Growing Cities' (SIWA) for the implementation of the container solution. This fund is part of the Berlin School Construction Offensive, the central instrument for coordinating new buildings and renovations in the education sector.
The container facility on the Seehausener Straße is expected to be operational in the first half of 2027. However, it is important to note that this property belongs to the state-owned HOWOGE, which plans a residential new construction there. As such, the container solution is only a temporary measure.
District Mayor Mattes drew attention to the precarious situation in a letter of complaint to the Senate Administration. The long-term stay of the containers at the previous location on the Salzmannstraße was not possible.
Many schools in Neu-Hohenschoenhausen already take in more children than originally planned, and the shortage of school places in the north of the district remains significant despite the new location of the school containers and the planned new primary school on the Kluetzer Straße.
New residential construction projects in the district are exacerbating the pressure on school places. The Berlin School Construction Offensive enables flexible reaction to increasing student numbers, making it possible to create additional capacity in the short term while long-term new locations are being created, particularly in growing districts like Lichtenberg.
The container facility on the Seehausener Straße originally served as an interim news for the Seepark primary school. Container solutions are a necessary means of creating additional capacity in the short term while long-term new locations are being created.
As the district continues to grow, finding solutions to the school place shortage is a priority. The relocation of the school containers and the construction of the new primary school on the Kluetzer Straße are steps in the right direction towards addressing this issue.
