Germany was recently ranked as #1 country in the world in US News and World Report, based on the strength of its economy, political power, affluence, and quality of life. Its Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is Time magazine's person of the year, and the nation has topped headlines for its decisive role in the leadership of the EU and its repsonse to Putin, waves of refugees and migrants, Brexit, and the Greek economic crisis.

It seems the only place I haven't seen Germany in the headlines is in architecture section. (Or maybe not, prove me wrong in the comments!) Why not? Spain, Italy, and Greece have nearly no architecutre jobs right now, and many of the architects of all experience levels from these countries have left their homes to come work in Germany, which is actually witnessing one of the largest influxes of professional migrants in its history.

I've been living in Stuttgart, Germany and working as an architect here for just about two years now. I would like to resurrect this blog as a way to document the past, the present, and future of German architecture as I have seen it here. 

From my point of view, considering the influx of experience and differnet backgrounds and the booming economy, Germany should be in the middle of an architectural renaissance, or at least showing signs of entering one. But when I look at what is being built, and what is winning architectural competitions, I am strongly reminded of the Sears' large appliance section. What is going on here? Let's go find out.