Modular Learning Spaces Rooted in Industrial Memory

A modular high school intervention that transforms an abandoned Berlin cement factory into a living educational space—preserving industrial history through adaptable design.

• Type: Student Project – 9th Semester

• Project Title: Highschool La Fábrica

• Location: Lohmühleninsel, Berlin, Germany

• University: CEU Cardenal Herrera @uchceu_universidad, Valencia, Spain

• Award: Best Project of the Year 2025 – CEU Creafest
  

Project Description

Highschool La Fábrica reimagines the northern part of Lohmühleninsel in Berlin, where an abandoned cement factory sits amid zoning conflicts and fragmented development. Rather than demolishing this historic structure, the project by Iyed Ben Mansour proposes a radical act of preservation and integration.

At the heart of the design is a high school composed of three square modular units. These prefabricated elements are intentionally designed for flexibility—they can be added, repositioned, or removed using a crane, allowing the school to evolve over time. Their modularity makes the architecture responsive and dynamic, capable of growing like an organic system that integrates with its industrial host and surrounding landscape.

The design draws a compelling parallel to fungal growth, where modules spread and adapt around the factory and the adjacent water deck, forming a symbiotic relationship between the new and the old. This approach enhances the site's existing identity rather than overwriting it—revitalizing the abandoned space into a dynamic educational environment without erasing its past.

Project by:

Iyed Ben Mansour @studio_iyed