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

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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

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Competition Cartoon Corridor

Dalian, China

The Cartoon Corridor, developed as part of a joint venture with Prof. Harald Deilmann (Münster), extends the port of the north-eastern Chinese city of Dalian to include extensive campus areas, thus creating new qualities of stay on the peninsula.

Dalian – A Continuously Growing City

With its militarily significant port documented as early as the 6th century, the region quickly gained influence as a trading city and continues to grow steadily. To make the identity of the place tangible and to continue integrating it into the evolving urban structure, the Cartoon Corridor redefines the port as a "water city" and expands the area with large spaces for a Maritime University, hotel facilities for university guests and other visitors, as well as exhibition and conference areas.

Due to the expansion of long and primarily monotonous connecting roads to develop the peninsula, there was a need to enhance the quality of stay for pedestrian traffic as well.

Urban Framework Plan

The competition entry utilizes the existing sightlines framed by existing street canyons along Huangpu Rd and develops them with a "Green Band" that accompanies the street layout, calming the area and isolating it from the eight-lane expressway. Thoughtfully placed solitaires are integrated into the emerging "water city" like large stones. This arrangement of various sightlines enhances the pedestrian experience and provides space for the diverse campus area, which stretches across the expressway with long bridges connecting the buildings.

HotelInfrastructureMixedOfficePublic

Data

Competition

2005

Address

Huangpu Rd
116086 Dalian (Ganjingzi District), Liaoning
China

Siteplan
Floorplan
View

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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 Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts

Dalian, China

Luxun Academy is establishing its 9th campus in Dalian, Northern China. On a main usable area of approximately 250,000 square meters, the new campus will feature university facilities, a gallery for public exhibitions of student work, a library, a sports center, a shopping mall, around 2,500 student apartments, and approximately 500 residences for faculty members. The site has a topographical rise of about 20 meters in the north-south direction and is also intersected by two conical hills.

The concept incorporates a stream running through the site, which will be extended with smaller weirs to create larger water surfaces. This stream becomes a symbolic representation of the idea - "Life is a river - everything flows" - with the various academic institutions gathering at its edges, like driftwood along the riverbanks.

The uses are tiered, following the rising terrain from the south, with all residential buildings oriented to the south for comfort and energy efficiency. The roofs of the institutes are designed as "skywalks," connected by bridges between the residential areas. The faculty apartments are organized in clusters, featuring courtyards, stairs, and decentralized sports courts (basketball).At the center, the library tower will be constructed as the only high-rise building in the ensemble. It will have a uniformly perforated concrete facade and offer views of the surrounding landscape and the Chinese sea.

LivingMixedPublic

Awards

2.Prize

International Invitational Competition

Data

Competition

2005

Address

19 Sanhao Street
110055 Shenyang
Liaoning, China

Awarding Authority

The International Art Education Exchange Center of Luxun Academy of Fine Arts

Siteplan
Student Apartments
Section Library
Section
Section Art Museum
View

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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

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