Competition Sports Hall Karpfenteich Primary School

Berlin

The urban environment of the Karpfenteich Elementary School is relatively small-scale. The area is characterized by two- to three-story, detached houses with front gardens and a set-back from the street. The school design from the 1960s reflects this environment by placing the volume deeper into the plot, limiting the number of stories, and creating an open space in front of the building for access—an expansive gesture.

We aim to preserve this gesture and therefore position the new building at the site of the existing single-field sports hall. We align with the scale of the surroundings and place significant parts of the building program underground. What remains visible is a single-story pavilion, which resembles a greenhouse more than a sports hall due to its transparent and opaque facades.

The hall area, playing fields, and all ancillary rooms are located in the basement. The upper half of the hall volume is visible above ground—designed for natural light and with opportunities to look in and through. A small entrance building stands separately next to the pavilion, constructed with the same materials and housing stairs and an elevator. The entire building is barrier-free throughout. The program areas are implemented in detail, and the street-facing end features a taller structure with chimneys for ventilation and exhaust.

Construction + Load-Bearing System

All exterior wall components below ground are made of reinforced concrete. Due to the hydrological conditions, a bathtub design is not necessary. Therefore, high insulation is provided along with protection against seepage. The roof area above the ancillary rooms will be designed as walkable.

The hall roof will be constructed from pre-stressed steel profiles. This allows for a minimal structural height (reduced heated volume) with a simple construction and low construction costs. Small BSH (laminated veneer lumber) beams are placed at intervals of 67.5 cm in the longitudinal direction, providing support for perforated plywood panels (sound absorption) as the substructure for the roof assembly. Therefore, the underside of the roof is primarily wooden. Wood is also used as a defining surface on the walls of the lowered hall area (covering for concrete walls). The roof surface will be extensively greened and will not have any openings. Natural lighting for the hall is ensured through the facade.

Supports are added as V-shaped columns along the longitudinal sides, placed on top of the concrete walls (longitudinal bracing).

Building Envelope: Roof + Facade

The longitudinal facades will be constructed from multi-chamber sandwich panels. These panels are held at the base and top points and interlocked longitudinally with tongue and groove. The panels are opaque, creating a linear, light-permeable skin without glare in the interior of the hall—abstract and detailed. The gable facades will be glazed transparently, allowing views through the building to the open spaces behind or down onto the playing area. Horizontal pipes mounted on projecting elements provide sun protection on the gable sides. The roof will be extensively greened (5th facade) and will remain without penetrations. All underground envelope parts will be built as robust reinforced concrete constructions with high insulation.

Sustainability

Avoid energy expenditure – Optimize energy conversion – Intelligently control energy usage

The building is compact. The air-exposed surfaces are minimized, thus reducing transmission heat losses. All facade surfaces can be utilized for natural lighting. Roofs are highly insulated and unbroken. The spatial program is implemented 1:1, and circulation areas are kept to the necessary minimum. All rooms are naturally ventilated. An exhaust chimney will be constructed that extends about 7 meters above the hall building. The interior spaces are connected to the natural ventilation system through overflow openings.

The constructions are straightforward and easy to erect. The number of materials used is minimal; they are uncomplicated yet robust and easily replaceable if necessary. Dismantling, deconstruction, and disposal can be done with simple equipment, and the materials are largely recyclable.

ConcretePublicSteelWood

Data

Competition

2012

Address

Hildburghauser Straße 135-145
12209 Berlin

Awarding Authority

Senate Department for Urban Development and Environment Berlin

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Decathlon

Herne

The goal of the Decathlon Herne project was to redevelop the Hibernia industrial site in Herne with a new building to strengthen the economic structure and improve ecological qualities.

The significance of the building arises from a strong articulation of the overall volume. This articulation is created by shed roofs. The sheds provide natural lighting to the interior from the north and offer the possibility of natural cross-ventilation, thus eliminating the need for mechanical ventilation.

To regulate the surface water balance, the areas between the shed roofs are greened and equipped with a high substrate layer. These green roofs capture the surface water, allowing it to evaporate from there. Excess water is directed to a drainage canal located at the entrance. The canal is connected to the natural stream system of the surrounding area.

The primary structure is a composite system of reinforced concrete and steel. The steel trusses are widely spaced to keep the interior free of columns. The exterior facades consist of industrial aluminum sheeting and pressed glass, which ensures maximum illumination. Administrative offices are housed in a two-story building block on the north side of the building.

ConcreteGlassMixedOfficeSteel

Awards

BDA Prize
North Rhine-Westphalia

2001

Siteplan
Floorplan

Data

Completion

2001

Address

Holsterhauser Str. 200
44625 Herne
Germany

Client

Decathlon

Sections

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House at Lake Wandlitz

Wandlitz

The new building is situated on a site with a gentle slope towards the west shore of Lake Wandlitz.

To minimize the footprint of the property, the house has been designed as a slender structure along the northern boundary. A lightweight wooden construction rests on steel supports above the natural terrain, which remains untouched and unchanged. The two-story building consists of prefabricated wooden frame walls and ceilings. The west facade is clad with dark-stained 3D wooden slats of varying widths. On the north side, the black metal cladding of the cantilevered shed roof extends onto the facade. The gable ends are fully glazed with large, two-part sliding elements.

The house is designed for multifunctional uses—workshops, conferences, temporary living, etc. Alongside the north facade, a 1.0-meter-wide service zone, similar to a walk-in closet, has been incorporated, containing restrooms, bathrooms, storage areas, kitchenettes, stoves, and additional sleeping arrangements (Japanese courtyard house). The remaining floor plan is divided into different rooms—cabins—with open living and working areas on the ground floor. A key feature is the terraces located at the gable ends, oriented towards the lake and the forest. The wooden decks are large and extend the usable space. Like the house itself, they do not touch the ground.

HybridLivingMixedSteelWood

Siteplan
Floorplans

Data

Completion

2016

Address

Uferstrasse 10
16348 Wandlitz

Client

Private

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Kreuzviertel Johanna-Melzer-Straße

Dortmund

The development along Johanna-Melzer-Street is entirely from the period of immediate post-war reconstruction after 1945. The street edges are closed off, and the courtyards are often fully built over and used as workshops or enclosed garages. The materials, surface textures, and facade divisions reflect what was economically possible at the time. After 60 years without change, the neighborhood is now coming into focus for urban development.

The site is centrally located, not far from the main train station—the key transportation hub connecting regional and national destinations—such as the university, technical college, and institutes in Dorstfeld. As a result, the area around Johanna-Melzer-Street is particularly attractive to students, young families, and freelancers.

With our proposal, we aim to introduce new residential qualities. The site will be kept free of car traffic. Bicycles and cars will be parked on the ground floor beneath the front building. From the first floor to the top floor, variable apartments will be created for different groups: singles, couples, and shared housing. In the rear part of the site, a small studio building will be constructed, which will align with the neighboring edges and will feature its own private courtyard garden to the south. The area between the front building and the studio building will be de-paved and made available as a garden for the residents (“green” instead of “gray”).

Access to the upper floors, the garden, and the functional areas on the ground floor is via a central foyer with deliberately spacious movement areas. The residential community will have an apartment with space for private events, children’s play, etc., with direct access to the garden.

“High Density - High Privacy - Low Energy” is the theme of the architectural language. The building mass is compact, as are the circulation areas, yet remains communicative. The residential units feature varied typologies and maximized private open spaces. All necessary infrastructure (storage rooms, building services, etc.) is accommodated within the building. In the courtyard, there is a steel pergola with a metal roof connecting the two building parts, providing space for bicycles and trash bins. This keeps the open area around the building tidy.

Usage + Fire Protection

The building has four upper floors and an attic with a duplex apartment. All floors are barrier-free, with some apartments designed for accessibility. The first escape route is through the stairwell, and the second is via the facade.

Construction

The primary load-bearing structure consists of reinforced concrete panels (gable walls and ceilings). The ceilings are beam-free and smooth and uninterrupted from below. The floor plans are free of columns. Room partitions are created with lightweight walls. The exterior walls and roof are built with load-bearing aerated concrete blocks. The facades are plastered. On the street side at the ground floor, there is a natural-colored silver aluminum sheet cladding. The entrance door, garage doors, intercom system, and mailboxes are integrated into this facade design: resource-conscious _ robust _ colorful _ permeable _ optimistic _ energy-efficient.

Lighting

The front building and studio house are integrated into the block structure of the neighborhood. The floor plans are illuminated through the facades facing the street and the garden.

General Sustainability Concept

The building design is characterized by a comparatively low resource consumption for building operation, construction, and maintenance. The following points are considered:

The developed comfort and energy concept is tailored to the building and its location; the passive and efficiency measures ensure compliance with the required indoor climate conditions and lead to a consistent reduction in annual energy demand. With the described supply measures, a favorable primary energy coverage of the building’s energy needs over the year is achievable.

A room acoustics adapted to the usage creates an optimal living environment. The building's high compactness and slightly articulated volume promise relatively low resource consumption for the shell. Window areas and frame materials significantly influence the gray energy content of the building envelope; the proportion of windows is optimized for natural lighting and external reference. An accentuated external reference creates spatial identities and aids orientation within the building. Innovative load-bearing and building structures allow for a material-saving construction method.

The flexibility of the building concept and the conceptual separation of components with different life expectancies significantly impact the potential lifespan of the building. Green roofs (e.g., through "urban gardening") improve the microclimate, protect the roof sealing, and contribute significantly to rainwater retention. The media distribution, ventilation concept, and accessibility allow for easy and practical cleaning, maintenance, and retrofitting.

Primarily emission-free and low-emission building materials, easy-to-clean surfaces, and the comfort/ventilation concept ensure a high health and hygiene standard in the interiors; examples include the ceiling structure, extensive natural room conditioning and ventilation depending on use. Longevity of building materials and components related to the building envelope (facade, roof, sun protection) and the building services concept (lighting concept, ventilation concept, energy concept, room conditioning, control technology) is carefully considered.

ConcreteLivingSteel

Data

Study

2017

Address

Johanna-Melzer-Straße 6
44147 Dortmund

Client

Kreuzviertel Immobilien GmbH

South View Front Building
North View Front Building
South View Studio
North View Studio
Floorplan Groundfloor
Floorplan 1st Floor

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Grammer Office HQ

Ebermannsdorf

The new headquarters of Grammer Bürostühle GmbH is nestled like a rock in the Bavarian Forest. Grammer produces high-quality office chairs and cinema seats in an "on-time" production system.

The building complex is divided into a production hall and an administrative building (head office), which are connected by a bridge. They are flanked by black, massive "rock" walls. The outwardly rugged architecture, in the style of Land Art, reflects the surrounding forest landscape. The buildings blend into the environment through scattered plantings of native trees.

The structural framework of the 6,700 m² hall consists of a galvanized steel structure made of trusses and fixed steel columns.

The facade is made from aluminum sandwich panels. The end facades feature profiled architectural glass with thermal insulation coating, combined with an anodized post-and-beam construction.

GlassOfficeSteel

Data

Completion

2002

Address

Jubatus-Allee 1
92263 Ebermannsdorf

Client

Grammer AG "Seating Group" GmbH

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H+H order picking building

Höningen

A gentle slope, with an industrial area at the back and a wide view of the Soester Börde at the front—an appealing yet challenging situation. The neighboring structures are large and faceless, spread out across the area.

The theme of the new building for H+H is the edge of the slope—seemingly sinking into the terrain, the interior features two levels: a continuous ground floor for order picking and, on a gallery level suspended from the roof, zones for storing all necessary packaging materials.

Offices and an apartment are located on the single-story side of the building, offering a view of the landscape. The structural framework is designed as a mixed construction—wood (roof trusses, wall panels) and steel (columns) form an architectural unit.

Awards

Architecture Prize of the
WestHyp Foundation

1996

Siteplan
Floorplan Groundfloor

Data

Completion

1995

Address

Oesterweg 14
59469 Ense-Höingen (Landkreis Soest)
Deutschland

Client

Hütter + Hansen

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View West
Section

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Wulf-Hefe-Gallery

Werl

The goal of the "Hefe-Galery" project is the redevelopment of an inner-city brownfield site, whose previous use as a brewery became obsolete with the demolition of the building.

The new building compensates for the deficit in event and dining spaces. The differentiation of the retail structure attracts new external customer traffic, thereby strengthening Werl's inner-city retail landscape beyond just the immediate location.

The limited land resource has been occupied by a two-story building that aligns with the local scale. Retail, dining, logistics, and administration are located on the ground floor, with parking and technical facilities on the upper floor, as well as event spaces on both levels. Green areas are incorporated into the rooftop.

The primary structural framework consists of a prefabricated reinforced concrete construction with spans of 10x10 meters on the ground floor and 20x30 meters on the upper floor. After completion of the second construction phase, the usable area will be approximately 12,000 m².

The building features a central control system for optimized resource management. Rainwater is collected decentrally, stored centrally in a cistern, and then directed into a greywater system. High visitor traffic is managed through a complex supply and disposal concept that takes into account day and night cycles to minimize impact on the surrounding neighborhood.

ConcreteMixedOfficePublicRetailSteel

Flooplan Groundfloor
Detail Facade

Data

Completion

2008

Address

Soester Str. 26
59457 Werl
Germany

Client

Grundstücksgesellschaft Friedrich Bremke GmbH & Co.KG

Sections

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Competition Volkswohl Bund Insurance

Dortmund

Volkswohl Bund Insurance aims to secure its success for the future. To achieve this, a new building with modern workplaces and functions is necessary.

Urban Planning Concept

The block perimeter at Chemnitzer Straße – Hohe Straße – Südwall will be closed. The existing street-level base floors will be demolished, and the high-rise will be exposed and accessed via an appropriate, forecourt. This square opens up the city access from Hohe Straße towards the city center and visually connects the city center with the adjacent residential area. A place with vibrant qualities will emerge. The courtyard will be extensively greened and kept free of vehicular traffic.

Design/Architectural Concept

The building will be centrally accessible—a two-story entrance hall serves as the starting point for straightforward navigation within the building. From here, all functional units are directly accessible. Two building wings will be constructed parallel to Südwall. The space between these wings will be designed as a water feature and will be generously visible from the entrance hall.

Material

The new building will be bright! The glass facades are full-height and alternate with stainless steel surfaces on the solid parts. The roof surfaces of the underground garage will be greened. The floors in the entrance hall and the dining areas will have natural stone coverings, while the office areas will feature continuous textile floor coverings. The skylobby will have a wooden floor that extends out as a terrace into the roof garden. Walls adjacent to the facades will be made of drywall. Interior walls leading to the corridors can be transparent or opaque in certain areas or covered with wood.

Construction

The structural framework—columns and flat slabs—will be constructed from reinforced concrete. The existing ceiling structures of the existing building will receive a suspended cooling ceiling with a clear room height of approximately 2.85 meters. The conference room will be opened up over two floors, allowing for the seamless integration of technical infrastructure for climate control and media. The roof of the dining area will be designed as a sloped concrete slab, with parts of it being greened.

Principles of Technical Equipment

Minimizing cooling and heating energy requirements, maintaining low operating costs, high daylight utilization, high thermal comfort, and cost-efficiency.

Outdoor Areas

The property will be significantly built upon. The roof of the underground garage will be greened and accessible. Terrace areas in front of the dining areas will be paved or covered with wood. All plants will have shallow roots and be suitable for flat roofs—trees and hedges will have separate planting elements. The courtyard between the building wings will be covered with a pond. Bamboo will be placed in special planting elements within the water area.

ConcreteGlassOfficeSteel

Siteplan
Floorplan 1st-3rd Floor
Floorplan 7th-10th Floor

Data

Competition

2007

Address

Südwall 37 - 41
44137 Dortmund

Awarding Authority

VOLKSWOHL BUND Versicherungen, Dortmund

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Section
Section

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Competition Topography of Terror

Berlin

Topography of Terror refers to a site in the center of Berlin, now a scar in the city's layout.

We understand this site as an archaeological search field (archaeology of history). Therefore, we propose using a construction form that can be temporary, follows future excavations, and integrates new findings into the building structure: a systematically designed excavation site organized as a "Matrix"—a system of mathematical dimensions arranged in a schema of horizontal rows and vertical columns (Brockhaus).

A clearly recognizable ordering system spans the entire site like a grid. Measurement points visualize the structuring of the existing terrain through a light system. Within this grid, the Matrix of TT Berlin develops. The proposed construction is inherently temporary—using steel, manageable dimensions, and bolted structures.

The treatment of the exterior surfaces follows the idea of simple spontaneous vegetation. They are left open to nature. The outdoor exhibition is organized as a path. The edges are sculpturally treated and closed. Instead of a traditional fence, a steel sculpture (Uecker: "Nail Pictures") will control access to the site.

Visitors can enter and exit this "open house" at many points. The program is therefore organized along a linear path that is climate-controlled and allows for easy orientation.

The Martin-Gropius-Bau has been preserved as a significant building and today defines the location through its inherent presence. The proportionality of the new building is derived from the facade of the Martin-Gropius-Bau.

The chosen system is modular. It is not a finished house but is changeable and expandable. It allows for growth or for a more modest and reduced "work in progress." The construction should be maximally reduced and slim. The connection elements—supports, beams, and purlins—are standardized and simple in processing and application.

The energy concept provides for a slim and simultaneously sustainable energy and technical supply. High-quality thermal insulation reduces thermal losses and minimizes the need for building technology. Natural ventilation and exhaust are achieved through a simple exhaust system, which is also used for cooling (night ventilation) in summer.

Single-story construction, high prefabrication, minimal fire protection requirements, small structural dimensions, standardized structural elements, and the possible omission of vertical access cores and elevator systems result in low construction costs. The saved budget is invested in additional space offerings.

PublicSteel

Siteplan

Data

Competition

2006

Address

Niederkirchnerstraße 8
10963 Berlin

Awarding Authority

Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung;
Stiftung Topographie des Terrors

Floorplan
Views
Detail

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Competition Ningbo Tower

Ningbo, China

Ningbo, located about 200 km south of Shanghai, is historically shaped by Chinese tradition, British colonial rule, and recent engagement with the political West. The urban traces of this history are evident in the juxtaposition of different building typologies.

Our client, the leading privately organized company for educational materials in China and a private school operator, requires a new headquarters. The project involves 10,000 square meters of office space and 25,000 square meters of retail space, to be developed at the intersection of the colonial city edge and contemporary Chinese urban development of the past twenty years.

The corporate culture focuses on traditional values and natural resources. Consequently, we proposed a building with a rational structural system and flexible floor plan organization. The façade is an artificial representation of a stone or rock, reflecting the company’s culture. It is constructed from pigmented reinforced concrete and features box windows inserted at regular intervals.

The energy concept integrates geothermal and waste heat from the shopping center in the three podium levels, as well as from the office floors, combined with component activation. This approach allows for a single-layer concrete skin with minimal weight, simplifying connection points. As a result, the extension of multi-story façade sections beyond the regular façade plane is easily achievable.

ConcreteOfficeRetailSteel

Data

Competition

2005

Address

315000 Ningbo,
Provinz Zhejiang
China

Awarding Authority

Privat

View West
Section
View South

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