You can enter this campus like any other. Glass, concrete, open spaces. And yet it works differently. The SRH University Campus in Berlin is not a building that simply organizes teaching. It is a system that makes identity visible – and that is precisely why the project received the German Design Award 2026.

The jury recognizes not only the design, but an approach: interior architecture, brand management, and learning environment are seamlessly intertwined. Spaces provide orientation, create a sense of belonging, and at the same time remain flexible enough to adapt to new requirements. That sounds abstract. In Berlin, it becomes tangible.

Around 12,000 square meters of space, located directly by the water and connected to the Ringbahn. More than 3,000 students from over 120 countries use the campus. Internationality is part of the concept – and shapes the spatial structure just as much as the visual language.

The real leverage, however, lies in the details. The project consistently follows the principle of “Brand in Space.” Materials, colors, furniture types and even the smallest design elements are carefully defined and translate the university’s brand into a spatial experience. This level of consistency is rare. And it is intentional.

From space to tool

The concept was developed by the Berlin-based agency dan pearlman under the direction of Marcus Fischer. Since 2021, the team has been supporting SRH in developing its spatial brand. At the same time, Steelcase contributes as a strategic partner. Not only with products, but with a clear vision of work and learning environments. The result is not static rooms, but zones that can be transformed. Furniture is modular, spaces can be reconfigured, and uses are conceived as open-ended.

This shifts the campus's function. The lecture hall loses importance. Instead, hybrid spaces emerge: for workshops, group work, retreat or spontaneous encounters. A forum with stage and event technology is just as much a part of it as traditional seminar areas. The campus thus becomes a “New Learning Hub” – a term explicitly used by the jury. What is meant is the transformation of traditional learning environments into dynamic, networked spaces.

The “Common Path” as a guiding motif

What stands out is the clear spatial dramaturgy. The so-called “Common Path” runs through the campus as a defining design element. It structures circulation, connects zones, and provides orientation in everyday use. This is more than a design gesture. It is an attempt to accompany learning spatially. Students do not simply move through corridors, but through a sequence of situations: focused, communicative, open, secluded.

At the same time, everything remains part of an overarching narrative. The brand is not additive, but integrative. It is embedded in surfaces, colors, and light just as much as in the furniture. Even the details follow this principle. Rounded shapes, specific color tones, custom-designed lighting – everything contributes to the same overall image.

Design as a strategic instrument

What is striking is how clearly the ambition is defined. The campus is not only meant to function, but to influence behavior. To encourage exchange. To create identity. To provide orientation. This only works if design is not the final step, but the starting point. That is exactly what the jury highlights: the award is a process consistently shaped by its users' needs.

In this way, design becomes strategy. And university architecture becomes a field of experimentation. The SRH Campus in Berlin shows how far this development has already progressed. Spaces are no longer a neutral shell. They become an active part of teaching, brand, and culture. Or put differently: anyone who wants to understand how education is changing needs to look at the spaces. And right now, Berlin offers a very clear example.