Bauwens celebrates topping-out ceremony for the Schulzentrum Nord school complex in Niederkassel
Yesterday, Bauwens and the city of Niederkassel celebrated an important milestone in the construction of the extension to the Schulzentrum Nord school complex. Numerous guests gathered on the site on Kopernikusstrasse to celebrate this traditional milestone together with the city administration, Bauwens, and the trades involved.
Fabian Bauwens-Adenauer, Managing Partner of the Bauwens Group, welcomed the guests at the start of the ceremony. In his speech, he praised the rapid progress made since the foundation stone was laid in March 2024 and thanked everyone involved for their commitment and trustful cooperation: "In times when many places are at a standstill, we are all the more pleased to see the cranes turning here. We are all the more grateful to the city of Niederkassel for its trust. We look forward to realizing this important project together."
Mayor Matthias Großgarten then took the floor and emphasized the importance of the new school building for the city: "With today's topping-out ceremony, we are one step closer to our goal of creating a modern and future-proof school for our children. It's great to see that we're on schedule—as early as next year, students will be able to learn, exercise, and develop here. A place of knowledge, encounter, and community is being created. Standing here today, you can sense that this will be a building that will enrich the lives of many people."
Karsten Mohr, division manager at Bauwens Construction, recalled the long tradition of the topping-out ceremony in his speech and emphasized the good cooperation with regional craft businesses.
This was followed by the ceremonial reading of the topping-out speech – a symbolic moment that culminated in the raising of the topping-out wreath.
Sports hall, cafeteria, and foyer take shape
A technical highlight of the construction progress to date was the installation of the wooden trusses, which are up to 28 meters long, for the new triple sports hall in mid-June. These impressive structural elements enable large areas to be spanned without supports, which is a central feature of the open, modern architecture of the future school center. a central feature of the open, modern architecture of the future school center. Thanks to precise logistics and the smooth cooperation of all those involved, this challenging construction phase was successfully completed.
Once completed, the new school center will comprise a 60-room school building with innovative learning clusters, a three-part multi-purpose hall, and a spacious cafeteria with 384 seats and a modern cook-chill kitchen. The project also sets standards in terms of sustainability: photovoltaic systems, geothermal energy, and a heat pump system form the heart of a forward-looking energy concept. Completion is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026 – just in time for the start of the 2026/2027 school year.
