diff --git a/common/Makefile.am b/common/Makefile.am
index 18a4e05aed0b0e65c40e7ce44e7dcecbccf70852..4273b4362933101b25dddf8d6381093ae8858bf3 100644
--- a/common/Makefile.am
+++ b/common/Makefile.am
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ commoninclude_HEADERS = dlist.cc alignment.hh \
   collectivecommunication.hh mpihelper.hh singleton.hh \
   mpicollectivecommunication.hh geometrytype.hh utility.hh \
   bartonnackmanifcheck.hh binaryfunctions.hh lru.hh fassign.hh \
-  static_assert.hh
+  static_assert.hh smallobject.hh
 
 if EXPRESSIONTEMPLATES
 commoninclude_HEADERS += exprtmpl.hh exprtmpl/scalar.inc exprtmpl/exprexpr.inc
diff --git a/common/smallobject.hh b/common/smallobject.hh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b8a1319485546ed2044c4601d9eb748086dc9bcc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/smallobject.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+// -*- tab-width: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil; c-basic-offset: 2 -*-
+// vi: set et ts=4 sw=2 sts=2:
+#ifndef DUNE_SMALLOBJECT_HH
+#define DUNE_SMALLOBJECT_HH
+
+#include <new>
+
+namespace Dune
+{
+
+  // SmallObjectPool
+  // ---------------
+
+  class SmallObjectPool
+  {
+    union Block
+    {
+      Block *next;
+      unsigned int blocks;
+    };
+
+  public:
+    enum { blockSize = sizeof( Block ) };
+    enum { maxBlocks = (1 << 10) - 1 };
+    enum { maxSize = maxBlocks * blockSize };
+
+  private:
+    Block *list_[ maxBlocks ];
+
+    SmallObjectPool ()
+    {
+      for( unsigned int i = 0; i < maxBlocks; ++i )
+        list_[ i ] = 0;
+    }
+
+    ~SmallObjectPool ()
+    {
+      for( unsigned int i = 0; i < maxBlocks; ++i )
+        delete list_[ i ];
+    }
+
+    static SmallObjectPool &instance ()
+    {
+      static SmallObjectPool inst;
+      return inst;
+    }
+
+    static Block *&list ( unsigned int blocks )
+    {
+      return instance().list_[ blocks ];
+    }
+
+  public:
+    static void *allocate ( unsigned int size )
+    {
+      const unsigned int blocks = (size + (blockSize-1)) / blockSize;
+      if( blocks > maxBlocks )
+        return 0;
+      Block *blockPtr = list( blocks );
+      if( blockPtr != 0 )
+        list( blocks ) = blockPtr->next;
+      else
+        blockPtr = new Block[ blocks+1 ];
+      blockPtr->blocks = blocks;
+      return blockPtr+1;
+    }
+
+    static void free ( void *ptr )
+    {
+      if( ptr != 0 )
+      {
+        Block *blockPtr = reinterpret_cast< Block * >( ptr ) - 1;
+        const unsigned int blocks = blockPtr->blocks;
+        blockPtr->next = list( blocks );
+        list( blocks ) = blockPtr;
+      }
+    }
+  };
+
+
+
+  // SmallObject
+  // -----------
+
+  struct SmallObject
+  {
+    void *operator new ( size_t size )
+    {
+      return SmallObjectPool :: allocate( size );
+    }
+
+    void operator delete ( void *ptr )
+    {
+      SmallObjectPool :: free( ptr );
+    }
+  };
+
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/common/test/.gitignore b/common/test/.gitignore
index 1213e5f00cb85eae908eb70700d19737a99f40e0..0278df68c7a159efc8677c8e1d34cf89a4c0737f 100644
--- a/common/test/.gitignore
+++ b/common/test/.gitignore
@@ -39,3 +39,4 @@ testfassign1
 testfassign2
 testfassign3
 testfassign4
+smallobject
diff --git a/common/test/Makefile.am b/common/test/Makefile.am
index 701d68c513153211feb2c8c1eae1e3f3efb85da2..703bc0e8ac5e33a4536a6486c4919f8fa79f51a1 100644
--- a/common/test/Makefile.am
+++ b/common/test/Makefile.am
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ TESTPROGS = parsetest test-stack arraylisttest smartpointertest \
 	poolallocatortest settest gcdlcmtest streamtest \
 	bigunsignedinttest mpihelpertest singletontest mpicollcomm \
 	utilitytest lrutest \
+	smallobject \
 	testfassign1 testfassign2 testfassign3 \
 	testfassign4 \
     testfassign_fail1 testfassign_fail2 testfassign_fail3\
@@ -22,6 +23,8 @@ check_PROGRAMS = $(TESTPROGS)
 
 AM_LDFLAGS = $(LOCAL_LIBS)
 
+smallobject_SOURCES = smallobject.cc
+
 # define the programs
 bigunsignedinttest_SOURCES=bigunsignedinttest.cc
 
diff --git a/common/test/smallobject.cc b/common/test/smallobject.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d6285c21a251f3a4d8b631b6482a280f9fa4b98a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/test/smallobject.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+// -*- tab-width: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil; c-basic-offset: 2 -*-
+// vi: set et ts=4 sw=2 sts=2:
+#include <config.h>
+
+#include <iostream>
+
+#include <dune/common/timer.hh>
+#include <dune/common/smallobject.hh>
+
+using namespace Dune;
+
+class A
+{
+  int a_;
+
+public:
+  A( int a )
+    : a_( a )
+  {}
+};
+
+
+class B
+  : public SmallObject
+{
+  int b_;
+
+public:
+  B( int b )
+    : b_( b )
+  {}
+};
+
+
+int main ( int argc, char **argv )
+{
+  Timer timer;
+
+  const unsigned long iterations = 1 << 30;
+  std :: cout << "Performing " << iterations << " iterations." << std :: endl;
+
+  timer.reset();
+  for( unsigned long i = 0; i < iterations; ++i )
+  {
+    A *a = new A( (int)i );
+    delete a;
+  }
+  double timeA = timer.elapsed();
+  std :: cout << "Time without SmallObject: " << timeA << std :: endl;
+
+  timer.reset();
+  for( unsigned long i = 0; i < iterations; ++i )
+  {
+    B *b = new B( (int)i );
+    delete b;
+  }
+  double timeB = timer.elapsed();
+  std :: cout << "Time with SmallObject: " << timeB << std :: endl;
+
+  std :: cout << "Result: SmallObject is " << (timeA / timeB) << " times faster." << std :: endl;
+}