Competition Living at Lake Rheinau

Mannheim

Waterfront Location, Water Sports, and the Significance of Wind Flow in east/west and north/south directions are key characteristics of the property, as highlighted in the available reports.

We want to address these aspects in our urban design concept: wind leaves traces—on water, in fields, in desert landscapes, etc. From this, images emerge—fascinating graphics composed of structures, surfaces, and colors. We sought to create a form that could represent an image of a trace left by the wind. At the same time, it should correspond with the already planned access routes.

We want to give each future resident a direct visual connection to the water from their home. For this reason, we have chosen flexible building typologies with specific visual characteristics, which can be built as semi-detached houses and row houses. In the first row along the waterline, we propose semi-detached houses, with row houses in the second and third rows—possibly intermixed with semi-detached houses. The row houses are structurally connected on the ground floor and first floor, while on the top floor, the floor plan is halved and complemented by a large rooftop terrace. The building positions are arranged in such a way that these floors are offset from each other, creating views of the lake and allowing for airflow in the E/W direction at every point.

The semi-detached houses will be placed on the existing ground level, creating a direct connection to the shore and offering an attractive elevation for the following residential rows.

The multi-story apartment buildings take on a special role—we are concentrating them on the southwestern part of the property, enhancing the dynamic roof landscape of the semi-detached and row houses into a multi-story design. Layers are stacked, overlapped, and shifted. This creates a dynamic image ("traces"). The height gradation also generates attractive apartments in the multi-story buildings with direct views of Rheinauer Lake.

Access

We will utilize the already constructed routes and the existing utility supply and disposal systems. The middle route is not needed for vehicular access but will serve as a public pedestrian path through the area. The height difference between the roads and the existing ground surface ranges between 2 and 3 meters. We will use this height difference to place an effective underground parking garage (community garage) between two rows of townhouses, allowing for natural lighting. The roof of this garage will be extensively greened, partially paved, and publicly accessible. It will be part of a central open space with a north-south orientation, adjoining private gardens. If necessary, the townhouse complexes can have basements—the remaining areas will be filled in.

The apartment buildings will be raised by half a floor, with the underground level lowered by half a floor. This creates an easily accessible, well-ventilated garage floor and a ground floor that is not visible to passersby. The garden area will be filled in, providing barrier-free access to the ground floor for the residents.

Open Spaces

To protect against traffic noise, we plan to build landscape structures—gabions and embankments of varying heights (at least 3.0 meters). These will surround the building site, tapering off at the edges.

Planting and extensive greening of the private areas will create a park-like setting in the central areas, which, in keeping with the water connection, will become a defining characteristic of the future settlement structure.

In close proximity to the existing recreational facilities—such as the water-ski area and lawn—we plan to set up a playground. A riverside walking path will roughly follow the current route. Public access points will be connected at various locations, offering visitors a direct connection to the water and places to linger.

Living

Data

Competition

2013

Address

Am Rheinauer See
68219 Mannheim

Awarding Authority

NCC Deutschland GmbH

Partner

AIG Allgemeine Planungs & Ingenieursgesellschaft mbH

Related projects

Competition Museum of Bavarian History

Regensburg

The inner city of Regensburg is characterized by its small-scale structure, resulting from its continuous historical development. Towards the Danube, the city's layout opens up, forming a tableau on the museum's site where various street axes converge. The new building integrates these axes and consolidates them into a city square facing the Danube. The open edges of the neighboring plots are closed and partially connected to the museum's main structure. This is where the Bavariathek, library, archive, administration, and other auxiliary rooms are located. Additionally, the building is publicly accessible throughout.

Floor Plan

The ground floor is an open hall—a "market hall" where all secondary uses of the museum's operation are offered. All supporting functions are compactly organized in a structured building spine that runs through all floors and also serves a stabilizing function for the entire construction.

Controlled access to the upper floors is provided via elevators and open staircases that run parallel to the façade (facing the Danube). The lecture hall, showroom, and special exhibition rooms are located on the first floor, with their own foyer connected to this access route. On this floor, there is the first bridge connection to the Bavariathek, which is repeated on the second floor. The third and fourth floors house additional exhibition spaces. The tour ends on a spacious rooftop terrace with a wide view over the city and countryside.

Relief

Facing the Danube, the building features a relief composed of horizontal elements, showcasing a selection of significant personalities from Bavarian state history and culture, buildings, technical objects representing Bavarian innovation, and symbols of folkloristic tradition.

Construction + Load-Bearing System + Facade

The basement, housing the technical facilities, is constructed as a sealed tank. All load-bearing columns are made of reinforced concrete, and the long-span ceilings use Cobiax system slabs.

Large transparent facade sections are built with a post-and-beam structure. The solid sections are constructed from large-format, highly insulating bricks and are finished with colored plaster.

Interior Finish

The interior design is intended to be simple: exposed concrete surfaces with a colored glaze (white), wooden doors also glazed in white, ceiling mirrors as light ceilings, natural stone flooring on the ground floor (similar to the surrounding outdoor surfaces), and wood in the corridors and exhibition areas.

Outdoor Facilities

The outdoor areas (surfaces, trees, dimensions) connect with the existing surroundings and continue around and through the ground floor ("market hall"). Density and openness alternate—towards the Danube, a beer garden is set up, modeled after traditional forms of this type of dining. With its shade-providing trees (geometrically pruned pollarded willows), it serves as both the starting and endpoint of the museum visit.

Sustainability

The building is compact. The roofs are highly insulated and unbroken. The constructions are straightforward and easy to erect. The number of selected materials is minimal, they are simple but robust, and can be easily replaced if necessary. Disassembly, deconstruction, and disposal are possible with basic equipment, and the materials are largely recyclable.

The building adheres to the DGNB sustainability criteria. The German quality seal incorporates various sustainability aspects into the following main criteria groups:

  • Process quality (quality assurance, structured commissioning, monitoring)
  • Ecological quality (pollutants and CO2 emissions)
  • Economic quality (value of materials and life cycle calculations)
  • Sociocultural and functional quality (user comfort and design)
  • Technical quality (building quality)

ConcretePublic

Data

Competition

2012

Address

Donaumarkt
93047 Regensburg

Awarding Authority

State Building Authority Regensburg

Related projects

Competition Fourth Comprehensive School

Aachen

"Not the child should adapt to the environment, but we should adapt the environment to the child."

— Maria Montessori

More than a School: A Lived Philosophy

The fourth comprehensive school in Aachen is taking a new approach. Teams of teachers and students form communities that learn together and spend the day together. Equality replaces hierarchy, and group work takes the place of frontal teaching. Students are empowered in their individuality rather than being dominated.

At the same time, students organize their own learning environment. In coordination with teachers, this creates a novel advisory and learning attitude. With a self-determined living environment, identification grows. School is perceived as a living place rather than an abstract institution.

Urban Planning Concept

The site is situated in the midst of a Gründerzeit district. The distinct topography and dense vegetation characterize the property. We aim to highlight the elevation and the quality of open space in our design. A central building span connects the existing classroom towers with a new sports hall. The building is traversable both inside and out, creating very diverse zones. In addition to the towers and central structure, we are placing small pavilions with a student café and a teaching kitchen in the garden.

The former sports field will be converted into the entrance courtyard, which already integrates the topography and leads into and through the building. The delivery for the cafeteria will be via Bergstraße, while the delivery for the sports hall will be directly from Sandkaulstraße. Fire and emergency services can access the site from various points via Sandkaulstraße and Bergstraße.

Architectural Concept

The floor plans are organized playfully—the ground floor essentially consists of a large hall with a forum, cafeteria, consulting rooms, and student representation rooms. In addition, there are two small pavilions in the gardens—serving as a student café and a teaching kitchen. On the upper floor, a simple building strip connects all components. It maintains a distance from the classroom towers and rests above the sports hall, which forms the spatial boundary to the street. Specialized classrooms are arranged on the north side to prevent extreme temperature fluctuations and drastic light influences. Multipurpose rooms and a meditation room are inserted into the floor plan as free-standing volumes—they extend curiously beyond the building edges or are located within large tree canopies (treehouse).

The corridor narrows, widens, and becomes a roof terrace under the tree canopies. The wall surfaces are partly transparent with views into the garden and partly opaque. The non-transparent areas are clad with wood (School of Tactility). Floor coverings vary according to the external space: terrazzo cast under the tree canopies—similar to a gravel bed under a plane tree in a mid-19th century French courtyard—and textile flooring in the concentrated areas between offices and specialized classrooms. Surface and material variety are intended to sharpen the perception of acoustics and tactility.

Only the central building (current cafeteria) will be removed from the existing structure. The remaining components will be preserved. A floor slab will be placed above the ceiling of the basement, forming the distribution level on the ground floor. From this elevation, the height concept of the building will develop.

The existing buildings will receive a new envelope—15/20 cm insulation and a cladding of wooden panels. The staircases will be rebuilt and reorganized. This way, all height levels will be accessible, including barrier-free access via elevators in the stairwells.

Structural Framework

The structural framework will be made of reinforced concrete. Columns will be positioned in the facade area and interior. The existing basement will be overbuilt. Bore piles will be placed directly next to the northern basement wall. A floor slab as a surface grid will be laid over this series of bore piles, extending to the northern and southern outer walls (spans of 10m/5m). On this slab, the necessary load-bearing elements—columns and massive walls—will be erected.

“The path on which the weak strengthen themselves is the same as the one on which the strong perfect themselves.”

— Maria Montessori

ConcretePublic

Data

Competition

2011

Address

Sandkaulstraße 75
52062 Aachen
Germany

Awarding Authority

Gebäudemanagement der Stadt Aachen

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Competition DFB Football Museum

Dortmund

The roof of the museum will be designed as a walkable terrace landscape—a vibrant urban space for soccer games, spectators, city walkers, café terraces, lounging areas, and more: an arena on top of the museum in the city.

The building combines two urban potentials:

  • Symbolic Value: A distinctive symbol with strong identification power for both the DFB and the city of Dortmund.
  • Functional Value: The building’s user interface activates the structure—beyond its museum functions—creating a unique, lively space within the urban environment: the museum plays an active role in city life.

The usable surface of the museum building adds value both for the operator and the city.

The terraced height development of the building, which rhythmically ascends and descends along the cultural mile, creates a "landscape" that interacts with the existing urban environment. The museum, overall relatively low, reaches a building height of approximately 15.5 meters at its highest terrace, making it significantly lower than the buildings at the city edge, thereby maintaining its impact on the cityscape.

In addition to its distinctiveness, the football museum should be a building accessible to visitors from all walks of life, meaning it should not create barriers but rather be welcoming and spark interest.

Thus, the intention is not to create a monument, but rather an instrument for football enthusiasts that they can be proud of and with which they can identify.

Public

Award

1.Prize

Competition

Data

Competition

2011

Address

Platz der Deutschen Einheit 1
44137 Dortmund
Germany

Awarding Authority

City of Dortmund

Partner

BWM Architektur & Design interdisziplinäre GmbH mit ZT:
Markus Kaplan
Johann Moser

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Competition Primary School Höchsten

Dortmund

The site of the Höchstener Primary School is located at one of the highest points in the Dortmund city layout. In some places, the view extends over the landscape areas all the way into the city center. The terrain rises continuously by about 3.70 meters in the longitudinal direction. The surrounding neighborhood mainly consists of small-scale residential buildings and a church with community facilities. Alongside the historic school building, the site is occupied by a sports hall and large pavilions from different construction periods. These temporary structures have become permanent fixtures. The open spaces for the schoolyard and outdoor play areas have been reduced to residual areas.

In the future, the high quality of the site should be utilized for the needs of the students and teachers. A new building will replace the temporary structures and historic elements. It will flank the southeastern edge of the site with two single-story, elongated building volumes stacked on top of each other. This configuration creates a concentrated construction area and maximizes open spaces, which will be designed as a schoolyard (paved), a school garden (unpaved and cultivated), or a green area with trees (park-like). A compact building with a simple floor plan ensures low operating costs and offers flexible usage options.

In this way, the guiding principles of the Höchstener Primary School are incorporated into the architectural concept in various ways:

Knowledge | Individualization | Independence | Social Learning | Cooperation

Public

Data

Competition

2010

Address

Lührmannstraße 1
44267 Dortmund
Germany

Awarding Authority

City administration Dortmund

Siteplan
Detail Facade
Floorplan

Related projects

Competition New Village Centre Meilen

Meilen am Zürichsee

After the retreat of the Linth Glacier about 10,000 years ago, its terminal moraine dammed the Linth River, causing the valley to gradually fill and form what is now Lake Zurich. Thus, the Ice Age shaped the entire landscape surrounding the lake. Glacial erratics remain as striking and vivid witnesses of these past events.

Over time, settlements, villages, and towns grew here. Today, they have almost merged along the shores of Lake Zurich, causing village boundaries to blur, and with them, the authenticity and individuality of each place. At the same time, these areas face cultural and economic competition with one another. Highlighting their unique strengths has become a central challenge for local development.

Meilen, with its existing urban structure and unique topographic position on the sunny side of Lake Zurich, has exceptional potential to confidently develop its own identity. To achieve this, we propose two new elements: the "Belvedere" and the "Solitär." The spacious terrace and the distinctive new building give Meilen’s town center a new identity, without overshadowing or disrupting its familiar surroundings.

At the heart of the development is the Belvedere, an elevated public terrace with views of the lake, serving as a shared forecourt for the town hall, building department, and the new construction. It sits at street level along the village road, offering a new, unusual view of Lake Zurich from its southern edge.

Solitaire

The new building stands on the Belvedere terrace like a glacial erratic perched on a terrace formed by lateral moraines. Positioned at the junction between the town hall and the building authority, it is connected to them through the basement level. The ground floor houses a public cafeteria. Its exterior form is rounded and worn, reminiscent of an erratic boulder, yet its proportions, roof height, and geometry relate to the existing buildings, forming an ensemble full of tension and contrast.

Town Hall and Building Authority

The familiar facades of the town hall and the building authority remain unchanged, except for the windows, which will be updated to meet current energy efficiency standards. A new glass entrance on the south side leads from the Belvedere into the town hall. The listed municipal hall, staircases, and most of the existing partition walls remain untouched. Both historic buildings will be equipped with accessible elevators. The town hall’s glass elevator is placed behind the southern facade, offering a view over the Belvedere towards the lake as it moves.

Basement Levels

Large parts of the building program are housed beneath the terrace level, minimizing the visible new construction volume. Two courtyards cut into the terrace, along with openings and light wells along the edges, provide ample lighting and ventilation to the underground rooms. Even the underground parking area benefits from natural daylight, creating an inviting atmosphere.

Lower Plaza

A grand staircase, a ramp, and an elevator lead from the Belvedere terrace to a lower, slightly angled plaza in the southern part of the perimeter. This plaza is surrounded by existing and new buildings that adopt the local scale and are suitable for various uses (classrooms, studios, spaces for community events, cultural activities, school expansions, etc.). Thus, two squares of different characteristics are created: the Belvedere as an urban terrace and the lower village square, framed by buildings, suitable for the annual "Chilbi" fair.

Materialization

The materialization of the Belvedere and the Solitaire is inspired by the Ice Age metaphors that drive the design:

Glacial erratics are often granite... The plaza will be paved with rough-cut light and dark granite slabs. Their varied orientation, the layout of lines, and the geometry reflect the vineyard patterns that shape the landscape. The joints between the slabs will be used for lighting, drainage, ventilation, and pathway guidance. The plaza is bordered by geometrically trimmed hedges and trees.

One component of granite is mica... Mica consists of silver or bronze-colored minerals that give the stone a metallic sheen depending on the processing. The building facades will be clad in a metal curtain wall made of matte, glass bead-blasted stainless steel, giving the structure a monolithic appearance like an erratic boulder. The box windows are flush with the exterior, with sun protection placed between the outer single glazing and inner insulated glazing. The metal facade will not hide the aging process; it will darken and become dull over time, allowing the building to gradually integrate into its surroundings and become a familiar part of the new town center.

Public

Data

Competition

2009

Address

Dorfstraße 100
8706 Meilen
Switzerland

Awarding Authority

Gemeinderat Meilen

Related projects

Competition LaGa Multipurpose Hall

Hemer

Due to its significance as a former Bundeswehr site, the withdrawal of the military from the Blücher barracks creates the need for societal and cultural reorientation in the city of Hemer. The development of the cultural district, city terraces, and "Felsenmeer" (rocky sea) are key elements of the urban spatial concept. Along the Jüberg Promenade, the individual components of this trilogy are connected.

Two distinct building forms reflect the different functional areas. A cubic, block-like structure (stage, multipurpose) and transparent depth (sports hall) convey the varied content.

Materials

The cubic block form of the multipurpose area and the stage is defined by its exterior design, featuring an anthracite-colored, anodized, folded metal facade. This rough, closed surface contrasts with the smooth, translucent surfaces of the glass facades of the hall structure, which are adorned with large-scale stone motifs tinted gray through a screen printing process.

Energy Concept

The guiding principles for energy optimization are:

  1. Avoid energy expenditure | 2. Optimize energy conversion | 3. Manage energy use intelligently.

Facades

The design of the enclosing surfaces is optimized for heat transmission, summer heat protection, and the best possible use of daylight and ambiance.

Energy Management

Energy management plays an essential role in the overall concept. During the planning process, it should be assessed to what extent the necessary energy demands occur simultaneously. By intelligently shifting loads, the required energy supply can be reduced. Additionally, power consumption can be further reduced by using variable-speed pumps for the heating and cooling circuits with automatic shutdown for unused areas. Presence- and daylight-dependent lighting controls, as well as the use of energy-efficient lighting systems, ensure an overall minimized electricity demand.

MixedPublic

Data

Compitition

2008

Address

58675 Hemer
Germany

Awarding Authority

Stadtverwaltung Hemer

Detail Facade
View
Section

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Competition G Data

Bochum

Creativity and intellectual flexibility, combined with proactive execution strategies, create their own markets. To accomplish this task, a constantly motivating environment is needed—this includes areas for focused work as well as zones for relaxation and communication—specific spaces for rationality and emotion. Close connections, a continuously regenerating network of information flows, and diverse available knowledge—this is how G DATA presents itself to the external observer.

The image of neural synapses comes to mind. We want to anticipate this association in the building structure.

Floor Plan

This results in a layout with two buildings: a four-story office building for "rationality" and a connected single-story pavilion for "emotion." Terraces are offered on its roof, as well as a landscape loggia facing the valley, adjacent to the restaurant areas. The single-story pavilion houses the academy, lounge, bar, and restaurant, as well as service center rooms along its edges.

The floor plan is designed as a fluid space. Usable areas and traffic zones are not separated but form a unified space, which is fully usable. This approach enhances circulation areas.

Urban Design

The four-story office building is constructed along Lise-Meitner-Allee, forming the gateway to the district. The pavilion, with its inserted structures of varying heights, follows the planned street and opens up on the first floor towards the valley. On this side, it is elevated as a belvedere.

Facades

The facades of the office building are designed homogeneously around the entire layout. The closed sections cover 50% to 60% of the facade, depending on orientation, and are clad with terracotta. The transparent sections are designed as casement windows integrated into a vertical line structure.

MixedOfficePublic

Siteplan
Floorplan Groundfloor

Data

Competition

2008

Address

Lise-Meitner-Allee 24
44801 Bochum
Germany

Awarding Authority

G DATA Software AG,
Bochum

Views
Detail Facade

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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

View
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

Related projects