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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Dortmund Central Station

Dortmund

What could a train station look like that is not just a transit point, but a gateway to the city?

Dortmund needs a new central station. The existing station is frequented by around 130,000 visitors every day. In its existing form, it is dysfunctional and does not meet the requirements of a modern station building. A new building should also provide a convenient link between the city center and Nordstadt. As a result of the topographical conditions, a height difference of approx. 20m must be bridged. The city center is approx. 20m higher than the northern part of the city.

For this reason, we are proposing a linear station, a very wide footbridge on the city center elevation. It crosses the tracks at a height of approx. 10m. From here, all platforms can be reached directly via stairs, moving walkways or elevators. Retail and gastronomy as well as rail-related services, waiting areas, play areas and informal meeting places will be installed on this footbridge. The Ponte Vecchio in Florence could serve as a reference, but here these areas are fully covered.

The linear station ends on a generously dimensioned forecourt on the north side of the station area. Here, Vis-á-vis houses are being built for access and vertical distribution, for work, gastronomy, leisure, medical services and other services. All new structures and components are developed from basic geometric shapes. These compact buildings will become the prelude to the adjoining urban quarter. They thus play an important role in the pedestrian access to the station and the city.

GlassInfrastructureMixedPublicSteel

Daten

Address

Königswall 14
44137 Dortmund

Site Plan
Detail scheme
Southern Square
Northern Square

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Competition Stadion Union Berlin

Berlin

UNION BERLIN is getting a new stadium on the same site—a historic location that has shaped the extraordinary closeness between the club and its fans. In Wuhlheide, situated between the Wuhle and the forest, a pure football arena has been in use for decades. The characteristic spatial proximity between the pitch and the stands is enhanced and atmospherically intensified in the proposed design through the geometry of the new structure.

A stadium transforms into a theater—a pitch becomes a stage— and the stands turn into seating tiers and boxes with areas for dining, merchandising, infrastructure, and more.

The new stadium is optimized for marketing capabilities (media/advertising) and third-party usage options (additional uses).

All spectator seats will be covered. The roof covering will be translucent, colored, and will thus serve as a signal. The roof membrane extends into the facade plane of the top gallery, creating the appearance of a floating, luminous object.

The primary structure consists of prefabricated reinforced concrete elements, while the roof framework is made of a steel truss with V-shaped supports and rear guy wires. This design ensures that all seating rows are free of supports and unobstructed. Lighting, sound systems, and drainage are integrated into the construction. The surfaces available for advertising are maximized and optimally aligned with camera positions. These include the perimeter boards, the interior and exterior edges of the roof surfaces, the surrounding areas of the upper and lower galleries, VIP boxes, and the exterior of the textile facade (which can display changing illuminated advertisements), among others. In addition to conventional camera positions, the upper gallery will serve as the main camera location, with options available at any point.

ConcretePublicSteel

Awards

1.Prize

Data

Competition

2003

Address

An der Wuhlheide 263
12555 Berlin
Germany

Awarding Authority

Senate of the City of Berlin
with FC Union Berlin

Related projects

Residential Building Van-Galen-Straße

Marl

Marl in Westphalia is a young city. Its growth primarily prospered due to the development of the Hüls chemical works—now Chemiepark Hüls, among others including Evonik Degussa. In particular, the 1970s saw internationally recognized architectural landmarks with high experimental potential: the Town Hall and Art Gallery (Bakema), the New City Marl (Kleihues), and the Hügelhaus (Hermann Schröder/Peter Faller).

Here, at the inner edge of the city center, along Von-Galen-Strasse, are simple residential buildings from the 1940s—ribbon structures (9x30 m), two stories with a load-bearing central longitudinal wall and a gently pitched gable roof without an attic. The technical infrastructure and the building envelopes need to be completely renewed. A detailed analysis of the planned measures revealed high budgets for renovation without improving living quality. Therefore, we propose removing the existing buildings and replacing them with new ones. If the new constructions are built as modular structures, for example using prefabricated concrete components, it would be possible to create flexible, usage-neutral floor plans at no additional cost compared to renovation measures.

The new buildings are being constructed on the same site to preserve the valuable tree stock on the properties. They are elevated by half a story, providing parking space for 6 cars and 15 bicycles. Above-ground parking facilities become obsolete and can be used for additional construction in the future. The floor plan orientation follows solar exposure: all living areas are oriented towards the west, while the east side is consistently closed. This prevents mutual visibility into private spaces and assigns garden areas exclusively to individual buildings. The building height is aligned with the surrounding construction and will be 2.5 stories. After the completion of the first construction phase, seven existing buildings (approximately 2,725 m² of living space) were replaced by eight new buildings (approximately 3,820 m² of usable space). In the second construction phase, seven square, single-story, stilted point houses (cars, bicycles, and waste management are located below the building at ground level) with approximately 850 m² of usable space (GRZ 0.2, GFZ 0.66) will replace former car parking spaces.

Systematics

The floor plans are based on a layering of building components and functions. The depth of the apartments does not exceed 7.5 meters. Concrete pillars with longitudinal beams are located directly behind the facade plane. Concrete hollow-core slabs span across both longitudinal axes. All components are prefabricated. Three installation shafts at strategically advantageous positions complete the solid skeleton.

The facades are hung in front of the structure—the east sides are closed, while the west sides are fully opened, allowing each room direct access to the balconies. This creates gardens that are exclusively assigned to individual buildings and are not visible from external vantage points. Waste management, private parking spaces directly associated with the apartments, technical and storage rooms, as well as laundry and drying rooms are located beneath the stilted houses. Each building contains 6 apartments with approximately 480 m² of rental space. The staircases flank the houses on the east side and are connected to the garage and public pathways. The apartments are variable, with movable walls, and flexible sizes. Each unit can be modified in 15-square-meter increments—building technology and separate meter reading provisions support this. The apartments are offered as "floor units," with actual floor plans customizable in collaboration with the tenants. Lofts with standard sanitary facilities are rented at minimal prices. Additional building elements (walls, doors, etc.) increase the base rent.

The roof is double-layered and consists of curved BSH beams, trapezoidal sheet metal, mineral insulation with ventilation, and a silver KalZip exterior skin. The high reflectivity and ventilation result in low heat absorption of the structure and minimal temperature fluctuations within the usable areas. The closed roof and facade surfaces merge seamlessly—“smooth building”—creating a volume that integrates smoothly with the existing vegetation. The gable sides are clad with large wooden panels. Underneath, there is also a double-layered construction with ventilation. The window surfaces continue the aluminum skin (KalZip).

An option is to provide as much variability as possible in floor plans and building technology. All future changes can be made by the client's technical staff.

ConcreteLivingSteel

Siteplan

Data

Completion

2001

Address

Von-Galen-Straße 1-15
45768 Marl
Germany

Client

Ruhr-Lippe-Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH, Dortmund

Section

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Friedrich-List-Platz

Leipzig

The first reinforced concrete building in Leipzig housed the "Leipziger Textil Center" (LTC) until 1996. The usage was discontinued in favor of high-density development on this site at the edge of Leipzig’s city center. On approximately 57,000 square meters at the city’s edge, offices, shops, 120 apartments, and about 400 parking spaces were created.

The buildings were all constructed using in-situ concrete with round columns and flat slabs. The floor plans are flexible and can be divided into units starting from 150 square meters. All surface water is collected and directed into ponds located in the three courtyards.

Among the tenants are Leipzig-TV with offices, studios, and production spaces, a private school, and a number of medium-sized businesses.

ConcreteGlassOfficeSteel

Awards

1. Prize
Appraisal Procedure

Data

Completion

2001

Address

Friedrich-List-Platz 1
04103 Leipzig
Germany

Client

Büll & Dr. Liedke
Hamburg

Related projects

Residential Development And Redensification Bergkamen

Bergkamen

Bergkamen is an artificial settlement. It followed the mining industry northward, was initiated by it, and grew along with it. There is no traditional town center. The economic hub, characterized by high density, dates back to the 1970s but remains unfinished to this day. Most of today’s residents do not work in the mining industry, and the city is attempting to develop a tourist profile by restructuring abandoned industrial sites along the canal (marina, restaurants, leisure businesses, etc.) and to attract innovative industries. With its residential areas bordering directly on open landscapes, Bergkamen is an attractive place to live for commuters working in the Ruhr region. Property prices and living costs are low here.

One of the existing settlements from the 1960s is part of the portfolio of Ruhr-Lippe-Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH, a non-profit company that has invested significant resources in renovating the current properties both in terms of energy efficiency and structure (raising buildings due to subsidence from mining damage). The plot sizes are generously dimensioned, with large distances between houses. We propose a densification of the existing area that takes into account the specific spatial situations. As a result, a family of buildings will grow, including three-story point houses, two-story apartment buildings, and single-story rows with maisonette apartments. All of these will have direct exterior access to shared garden spaces and private loggias (top floor), balconies (upper floor), or terraces (ground floor).

New buildings will be constructed as prefabricated composite structures made of wood and reinforced concrete elements, with neutral floor plans that offer a high degree of flexibility. The buildings will not have basements. The existing trees on the plots will be preserved. Above-ground parking areas will be consolidated at several central locations. The orientation of the floor plans follows the sunlight: all living spaces are oriented to the south, while utility, auxiliary, or bedrooms are located on the north side.

Systematics

The floor plans are based on a layering of building components and functions. The apartment depth is approximately 10 meters. Steel columns with steel beams run longitudinally, positioned directly behind the facade line and along the central axis. Hollow-core concrete slabs span the transverse axis. All components are prefabricated at the factory. Strategically positioned service shafts complete the solid structural framework.

The facades are hung in front of the structure, creating an interplay between closed, highly insulated elements with clapboard siding (larch) and floor-to-ceiling, operable windows. On the south side, private terraces, balconies, and loggias are incorporated, directly adjacent to the communal garden areas. Technical rooms are located centrally, with storage space, laundry, and drying rooms within each apartment. Staircases extend across the entire height of the building, functioning as semi-public spaces. The apartments are flexible, with movable walls and adaptable apartment sizes. Each unit can be modified in increments of 15 square meters—building technology and separated utility metering make this possible. Apartments are offered as "space units," with floor plans designed individually with tenants. Lofts with standard sanitary facilities are rented at minimal prices, and additional building elements (walls, doors, etc.) increase the base rent.

The barrel-shaped roof is multi-layered, consisting of curved glued laminated timber beams (BSH), a gypsum board interior lining, trapezoidal metal sheeting, mineral insulation with ventilation, and an exterior layer of silvery KalZip. The high reflectivity and ventilation result in minimal heating of the structure and low temperature fluctuations within the living spaces. The gable and longitudinal sides are constructed using the same prefabricated timber frame elements and floor-to-ceiling windows, creating the appearance of a large, homogeneous, and continuous exterior skin.

The design prioritizes maximum flexibility in floor plans and building technology. All future modifications can be carried out by the client’s technical staff.

ConcreteHybridLivingSteelWood

Siteplan
Section
View

Data

Completion

1999

Address

An den Stapeläckern
59192 Bergkamen
Germany

Client

Ruhr-Lippe-Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH Dortmund

Section

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Plus Endoprothetik

Marl

The new building "Plus Endoprosthetics, Medical Technology" is designed as a double-wing structure. All offices and high-quality workspaces are oriented to the north side, while all storage and laboratory spaces are situated on the south side of the building.

The three-story building block and the 1-2 story hall are presented as a cohesive unit. They share a central main access point and create a compact exterior appearance. The halls have a cubic shape, and this favorable ratio between surface area and volume ensures a good energy balance.

The primary structure of the building block consists of steel/wood composite walls and prestressed hollow-core concrete slabs. Structural stabilization is provided by central cores. The primary structure of the hall areas is formed by steel columns, supporting glulam beams in the primary direction and trapezoidal sheets in the secondary direction. The stabilization is achieved through external diagonal braces made of round steel.

Prefabricated components made of steel, wood, and aluminum ensured a short construction time due to their high degree of prefabrication.

The facade is designed as a simple post-and-beam construction. It features double glazing and is equipped with external sun protection.

HybridOfficeSteelWood

Siteplan

Data

Completion

1999

Address

Mainstraße 2
45768 Marl
Germany

Client

Plus Orthopedics AG 

Section
Section

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Ruhr-Lippe HQ Office

Dortmund

The new building complex is located on the site of the former district office in Hörde, between Wilhelm-van-Vloten-Straße to the south and Karl-Harr-Straße to the northeast.

The buildings of the "Ruhr-Lippe Project" are designed as an ensemble with a complex usage concept. The core of the program is an office building with approximately 6,800 m² of office space. This core function is accessed via a multifunctional foyer floor, which includes central information zones, exhibition spaces, and an event forum.

The site is characterized by a prominent topography that defines the urban space along its longitudinal axis, as well as by valuable, mature trees.

The terrain is accentuated by a new, single-story edge that cantilevers into the public space. This creates a platform on which the new buildings are freely arranged and connected by open spaces. The recessed ground floor leads visitors directly into the foyer of the main building. Between the different uses, an independent urban space with a high degree of recognizability is created.

ConcreteGlassOfficeSteel

Siteplan
Section

Data

Completion

1998

Address

Karl-Harr-Straße 5
44263 Dortmund
Germany

Client

Ruhr-Lippe Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH, Dortmund

Floorplan Groundfloor
Floorplan Standard Floor
Floorplan Top Floor

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Competition Park Stadium Schalke

Gelsenkirchen

This project emerged from an expert report. In the course of modernizing and making German stadiums more flexible, which are increasingly hosting events beyond sports, the Bundesliga football club Schalke 04 plans to replace its Parkstadion with a new building that combines a stadium and a multifunctional arena.

However, a solution was not only required for the demanding combination of functions but also for the challenge of constructing a new building on the site of the old stadium while matches continue to be played. The architects developed a new type of stadium in response to these requirements—one that combines an open-air arena with an indoor hall, while also breaking with the traditional design of earlier stadiums, which used to present only the closed backs of their stands to the surrounding area.

Realized in multiple construction phases, which at times connected parts of the old stadium with the new one, the result is an airy building that opens up in many ways to its surroundings, offering visitors changing perspectives of both the field and the exterior space. Unlike the conventional closed ring of stands, it is composed of several segments freely placed in the space, allowing for a maximum degree of prefabrication and modular assembly on-site, which also significantly reduces construction time. To avoid costly turf covers or the well-known method of sliding the pitch out of the stadium—both of which would have substantially increased operating costs and been difficult due to ground subsidence issues—the stadium here transforms into an arena by raising the pitch.

For this purpose, shipbuilding technology is employed: hydraulic heavy-lift systems, located at four points in the stadium's corners, raise the pitch by 40 meters in half an hour, allowing it to function as a roof. A seven-meter-high walkable steel grating forms its supporting structure, containing all the lighting and acoustic installations of an indoor hall.

Designed as a flexible modular system, the sports arena can accommodate between 60,000 and 70,000 spectators. Efficiently utilizing the existing topography of a ground hollow as a central distribution level, the arena opens up with seamless transitions to the surrounding space. Attached to the minimized primary structure of the concrete stands is a framework of slender steel rods, whose translucent textile skins and louvered glass panels offer varied views in and out of the stadium. While all auxiliary areas are directly adjacent to the field and thus hidden from view, the continuous gallery level on the earth berm and the opening of the side facades through vertical gates allow for free circulation between the landscape and the building.

Supported by graceful V-columns and differentiated gaps between structural bays, the arena achieves an engaging rhythmic composition. The interplay of variously materialized spatial layers creates a dualistic space, offering the closest proximity to the action on the field while seamlessly opening up to the surrounding landscape.

Data

Competition

1996

Address

Parkallee 3
45891 Gelsenkirchen
Germany

Organizer

FC Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e.V.

Floorplan
Section

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