Archinect - News

MVRDV updates Expo 2000 Pavilion transformation in Hannover

2024-11-22T16:39:00-05:00

MVRDV has updated its progress on the adaptive reuse of the Dutch Expo 2000 Pavilion in the German city of Hannover. The project will yield two new buildings surrounding the renovated pavilion—an original MVRDV design that's set to be transformed into a co-working office facility with a third-floor garden, maintaining the "stacked landscape" concept critical to the original. The pavilion had sat abandoned for 23 years before construction began.

Image courtesy MVRDV via Threads

German study finds broad social acceptance of integrated PV panels

2024-11-22T07:40:00-05:00

New findings produced by the Institute of Psychology at the University of Freiburg and German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems have shown the proven social acceptance of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) in different urban conditions.

According to techxplore.com, which first reported the news: "The conclusions showed that the acceptance of integrated photovoltaics in urban areas is generally very high and that PV on modern buildings is viewed more positively than on historic buildings."

Additionally, the study found that colored PV panels that match their buildings’ roof or facade design increased their rates of acceptance. Andreas Wessel, a PhD student and co-author of the study says: "The study provides initial insights into the social acceptance of PV systems on and around buildings. It confirms that the acceptance of PV systems can actually be increased through good visual integration with colored modules, especially for historic buildings."

German far-right politicians want to declare Bauhaus led modernism in the 'wrong direction'

2024-10-26T08:00:00-04:00

The German far-right AfD party has attacked the original Bauhaus as a pernicious example of design, saying it led the project of modernism in the "wrong direction." Their statement, which echoes the disdain put forth by Hitler and the Nazi party, comes from an official motion in front of the country’s parliament asking for an official reappraisal of its legacy in advance of the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus Dessau in 2025/26.

They say: "The emphasis on sobriety and minimalism often led to impersonal architecture that is perceived as cold, unwelcoming and unattractive." (h/t ARTnews)

The episode brings to mind the outrage of the architecture community in response to then-President Donald Trump's planned executive order in favor of classical architecture, the tenor of which (e.g., that it restores America's grandeur) is akin to the views advanced by Viktor Orban and many other modern adherents to a more discreet form of fascism.

Robotic fabrication and hybrid structural systems are showcased in the University of Stuttgart's new ITECH Pavilion

2024-10-04T18:52:00-04:00

A team of researchers led by Achim Menges of the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and Jan Knippers of the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart has unveiled a new pavilion made using a novel combination of bio-based materials.

The hybrid structural system behind the ITECH Research Pavilion 2024 is composed of timber and natural flax fiber polymer composites (or NFPCs). Menches and his colleagues were guided by recent research into fiber-polymer composites. The complete assembly works via the compressive strength of timber and tensile properties.

Image courtesy of ITEK and ICD at the University of Stuttgart

The pavilion was erected within the university’s Stadtgarten. It covers an area of roughly 484 square feet and weighs almost 2,130 pounds. The pavilion's structural capacity was shown to be capable of withstanding 1.5 times its own weight and 1.5 times the outside wind load.

Image courtesy of ITEK and...

An armchair for each month of the year: Architect Adorján Portik's unique furniture concept 'Halfway to the Infinite'

2024-08-01T20:51:00-04:00

Berlin-based architect and designer Adorján Portik has shared with us the first details of his new ‘Halfway to the Infinite’ furniture series, a set of twelve armchairs he will create for each month of the year.

The project, now about halfway completed, is targeted at students and fellow artists and seeks to stimulate a sense of discovery and creative inspiration in those who interact with it.

November. Image courtesy Adorjan Portik

November (detail). Image courtesy Adorjan Portik

Embedded within each chair emerges the naturalism that comes with each change of the seasons. November’s design evokes barren forests while, contrastingly, June’s is bedecked with a canvas ship’s sail meant to embody maritime activity and summer leisure.

July. Image courtesy Adorjan Portik

July (detail). Image courtesy Adorjan Portik

Architects will be particularly fond of the March chair, whose seat is a facsimile of an unrolled spool of plotter paper. Portik’s materials range from stainless steel wire mesh ...

German researchers discover carbon sequestering concrete additive made from cyanobacteria

2024-07-29T19:37:00-04:00

Researchers from Germany's Fraunhofer Institute have discovered a new bioconcrete solution made using cyanobacteria (formerly known as blue-green algae) that sequesters carbon through a process of photosynthesis. Their work for the “BioCarboBeton” project examined the potential of stromatolites to be used as an additive in traditional concrete mixtures, finding success after mimicking their natural binding processes by using a new technological method.

The project, which aims to scale up production for commercial uses, also found potential applications in insulation material, brick, formwork filling, and even mortar.

Take a look also at similar SOM and Drexel University-led material research for concrete and concrete alternatives that we published in the past year.

Innovative mass timber Wangen Tower opens in southern Germany

2024-05-22T17:16:00-04:00

University of Stuttgart professor Achim Menges has shared details of a new research-led observation tower project called Wangen Tower after its realization earlier this month at the regional garden showcase Landesgartenschau Wangen im Allgäu in southern Germany.

The project is a collaboration between the university's Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the university.

Image: © ICD/ITKE/IntCDC University of Stuttgart (Photo: Nina Baisch)

Image: © Roland Halbe

Menges’ eight-member team worked with Prof. Dr. Jan Knippers and Gregor Neubauer to produce the prototype using CNC milling techniques and curved CLT panels. The result is a durable, high-performance structure made from locally sourced renewable materials as well as the first-ever built example of a multi-level building made using self-shaped structural timber components.

Image: © ICD/ITKE/IntCDC University of Stuttgart (Photo: Christoph Mo...

Oliver Wainwright on the 'elegant white steel and glass pavilion' crowned 2024 EU Mies van der Rohe Award winner

2024-04-30T11:48:00-04:00

A lightweight university study centre designed to be easily disassembled has won the prize for the best building in Europe. Longevity, permanence and a sense of immutability might be the ambition of most architects, but Gustav Düsing and Max Hacke would be delighted to see their building adapted and reconfigured, or ultimately dismantled and moved somewhere else altogether.

Wainwright reflects on the "impossibly slender" pavilion which was revealed as the winner of the 2024 EU Mies van der Rohe Award last week in an article that also includes the perspectives of the pavilion's architects, Gustav Düsing and Max Hacke.

Related on Archinect: University study pavilion wins the 2024 EU Mies van der Rohe Award with a reconfigurable design. Photo by Iwan Baan.

Located on the campus of the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, the pavilion has been designed to allow for variations of student activities within a flexible layout, described by the award organizers as a "counter-model to spaces of hierarchical knowledge transfer."

Another winning aspect is the hybrid structure's ability to be disassembled and remounted. Individual components are capable of reuse in line with a principle called the "future material depot," which contributes to its role in the circular economy.

Kéré Architecture breaks ground on new timber childcare center at the Technical University of Munich

2024-04-24T15:45:00-04:00

Kéré Architecture has broken ground on a new all-wood childcare facility at the Technical University Munich (TUM). The design of the Ingeborg Pohl Kinderoase an der TUM is 700 square meters (7,500 square feet) in total and will hold space for 60 children in service to faculty members and their families.

Image copyright Kéré Architecture

The building, made possible through a donation from philanthropist Ingeborg Pohl, is defined by its playful interior, which incorporates a variety of scales and unique circulatory features, such as slides that connect each of its five floors.

Image copyright Kéré Architecture

Administrative suites are placed at the ground level, with three floors dedicated to children and divided by age group. A green roof play area called the Himmelswiese (German for “field of the heavens”) completes the program above. The firm has emphasized its use of timber throughout is meant to “take the sustainability of the building to the extreme.”

Image copyright Kéré Archi...

Construction starts on MVRDV's new Berlin mixed-use development

2024-03-17T08:00:00-04:00

Construction has begun on the MVRDV-designed LXK Office and Residential Campus in Berlin. The mixed-use complex will add needed office and residential space to a rapidly developing part of the city.

The project is located in the Friedrichshain district. It spans approximately 658,751 square feet and features abundant office, commercial, and residential space. The complex consists of two L-shaped volumes, with the residential component consolidated into a single block. The corners of each volume open up to create an accessible green, public square. This divide allows the project to integrate itself sensitively into the scale of the surroundings.

Image © MVRDV

One of the most distinguishing features of the development is its single continuous luminous band that wraps horizontally around each structure. The band unifies the fragmented structure into a single form. This component is further activated by green, accessible terraces that offer views into the surrounding city. It also hosts ...

MVRDV plans a new 'Green Heart' in the center of Düsseldorf

2024-01-10T20:30:00-05:00

MVRDV has released updated renderings and other details about its forthcoming Grüne Mitte (or “Green Heart”) plan that calls for a redesigned new green district in the culturally rich German city of Düsseldorf.

The firm’s plan, which entails the construction of a colorful residential component totaling 500 units (half of which are considered social housing) around a small landscaped public space from fellow Dutch designers LOLA, was the product of an intensive community input process that included members of the diverse Flingern-Süd community.

The area has been considered a "hot spot" for squatting since the end of the 1980s and features equally popular shopping spaces and a parking structure that was built only 11 years ago before the land was acquired by the developers Cube Real Estate.

Image © MVDRV

As part of that process, residents selected the Green Heart proposal from a trio of outline primers. Their solution calls for a 36% reduction in paved areas, with a new...

MVRDV completes colorful HAUS 1 office conversion in Berlin

2023-12-04T14:24:00-05:00

MVRDV has completed work on a vibrant new conversion project in Berlin called HAUS 1 that reworked an aging office building from 1997 into a new hub for innovation and community.

Other than the eye-catching canary color finish, the project is visually dominated by an extended grand external staircase. A new terraced timber pavilion space is enacted on the rooftop, completed by an arrangement of native plants and constructed using a palette of bio-based materials. Inside, floorplans are altered to maximize flexibility. Other important aspects of the design include low-temperature underfloor heating and a rainwater harvesting system that will help the building to function sustainably year-round.

Photo © Lukas Drobny

MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs says: “The newly transformed HAUS 1 is more than a gateway to this unique campus devoted to impact. It is a representation of the Atelier Gardens community and their commitment to chart a different vision of society...

This 3D printed social housing apartment building aims to become Europe's first of its kind

2023-11-21T12:01:00-05:00

German company PERI 3D Construction is collaborating with construction printer manufacturer COBOD on what the team describes as the “first 3D printed social housing apartment building in Germany and Europe.” The three-floor building will contain six apartment units ranging from 670 to 890 square feet.

Image credit: COBOD / PERI 3D

Located in the Ruhr city of Lünen, the project will see the first two floors of the apartment building 3D printed using concrete, while the top floor will be built using a timber hybrid construction method. The foundation, base, and horizontal slabs will be built from conventional methods, while the facade finish will comprise the 3D printed surface on the bottom two floors and facade panels to the top floor.

“We are pleased to be able to demonstrate once again how quickly, efficiently, and in a resource-saving manner the 3D printer can create living space and what potential is also opening up in the multi-family house segment,” PERI’s managing director Fab...

UNStudio's edgy Eclipse office design opens in Düsseldorf

2023-11-16T14:56:00-05:00

UNStudio has completed work on a new office building for the German operation of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Düsseldorf.

Their vision for a new ‘vertical work campus‘ concept was realized with support from the local firm HPP Architekten. The firms say their main intent for the Eclipse project was to “foster interaction and to inspire creativity by providing an inspirational and attractive work environment for today’s talent.” The 196-foot-tall building includes 290,600 square feet of office space for around 1,200 workplaces across a total of 16 stories.

Image: © H.G. Esch

The design of Eclipse resolves space on a difficult site by positioning a triangular volume above a two-story podium. Its 360-degree facade orients to the neighboring Hilton Hotel at its south elevation while the northern-facing side is established parallel to Kennedydamm, the main motor vehicle thoroughfare leading to the center of the city.

Image: © H.G. Esch

The form and fenestration of the tower give it a uni...

David Chipperfield's Elbtower project halts construction over payment dispute in Hamburg

2023-11-07T12:19:00-05:00

Reuters is reporting that construction on the forthcoming 64-story Elbtower Tower project in Hamburg, Germany, from David Chipperfield Architects has been halted over a payment dispute between its client Signa and a local builder.

The news came last week after more than two years of construction. Work was halted at exactly 100 meters (or 330 feet), which is under half the 245-meter (803-foot) anticipated height of the design for which Chipperfield won the 2018 international competition. The tower was expected to open in 2026, with a 188-room NOBU hotel and restaurant concept and a final price tag of €950 million ($1.015 billion). Once erected, it will become the tallest building in Germany outside of Frankfurt.

Signa’s CEO Timo Herzberg nevertheless posted to LinkedIn that he remains confident in the eventual realization of “Hamburg's future landmark,” Reuters reported. (Signa also operates the Chrysler Building in New York City.)

Previously on Archinect: David Chipperfield wins El...

Renovations complete on Einstein Tower, observatory built to represent Einstein's theory of relativity

2023-09-29T18:03:00-04:00

A solar observatory built to substantiate Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity has been reopened near the German capital after a renovation project to preserve it for future generations. [...] “The Einstein Tower might no longer be at the forefront of research, but it’s not a mere museum piece [...] Following its renovation it’s probably now in a better condition than it was when it was inaugurated almost 100 years ago”

Located on Telegraph Hill in Potsdam, 16 miles southwest of Berlin, Einsteinturm (Einstein Tower) underwent a year of renovations to address its many cracks and extensive dampness, and to preserve its domed zinc roof. The restoration cost approximately $1.2 million.

The structure was built between 1920 and 1922 by German-British architect Erich Mendelsohn in collaboration with astronomer Erwin Finlay-Freundlich. The approximately 66-foot tower was designed to represent and verify Einstein’s theory of relativity. It is considered a landmark in expressionist architecture, with its lack of right angles, organic form, and curved wooden staircase. Originally planned in concrete, a lack of materials after the First World War meant it was built using stucco-covered brick.

The tower is still in operation today as a working solar observatory, run by the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics (AIP). In addition, the working telescopes are the original ones installed nearly a century ago.

...

CityLAB's new tree mapping feature calls Berliners towards a greener future

2023-08-23T12:21:00-04:00

The maintenance of urban tree canopies is one of utmost importance to planners in the fight against heat and subsequent efforts to make cities into effective carbon stores that are dually resilient against climate change while improving public health and well-being overall.

A new digital map developed by the technology incubator CityLAB Berlin now helps to improve the care of these vital green infrastructures using data and an inspired citizenry whom they also credit with helping to streamline its development since 2020.

The data includes a register of over half a million trees with information on their water levels and age culled from previous government projects. The map it creates draws inspiration from the NYC Tree Map, and others developed in cities like Athens and Washington, D.C.

Locals who use the app frequently have begun to adopt individual trees as their own, surpassing participation levels that "ignited a debate between different local district authorities as to what e...

Robots assemble a domed timber pavilion designed by the universities of Stuttgart and Freiburg

2023-08-15T11:16:00-04:00

The University of Stuttgart and the University of Freiburg have partnered on the construction of a domed timber pavilion on the University of Freiburg campus which seeks to showcase an “integrative approach to design and construction for sustainable architecture.” The livMatS Biomimetic Shell at the FIT Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies will serve as a research space for the development of innovative, cross-disciplinary research ideas.

Image credit: Conné van d'Grachten

The design of the building envelope is based on the morphological principles of the plate skeleton of sea urchins, which have been researched at the University of Stuttgart for over a decade. For the pavilion, the segmental shell construction was further developed as a highly insulating structure for year-round and permanent use, with the combination of two partial shells of different shapes and sizes creating an opening skylight.

Image credit: Con...

J. MAYER H. completes cantilevering pavilion for FOM University’s Düsseldorf campus

2023-07-05T11:13:00-04:00

J. MAYER H. has completed a new pavilion for the FOM University campus in Düsseldorf, Germany. The structure adds to a larger university building completed by the firm five years ago, bringing a new social space to the 86,000-square-foot campus on the site of a former cargo train station.

Image credit: David Franck

The pavilion features shaded outdoor terraces underneath a cantilevering floating roof. Described as an annex to the main building, the inside of the facility offers over 1,000 square feet of social spaces.

Image credit: David Franck

“The FOM Pavilion adapts to the amorphous green landscape that interweaves the various levels of access to the university building and as a soft soil sculpture covers the underground garage beneath,” the design team explained in a statement. “As an addition to the university building, the pavilion provides spaces for seminars and lectures, workshops and social gatherings.”

Image credit: David ...

MVRDV begins Expo 2000 Pavilion adaptive reuse transformation

2023-05-16T13:19:00-04:00

MVRDV has shared details on their efforts to revitalize the firm’s former Dutch Expo 2000 Pavilion design into a new, mixed-use development in Hannover, Germany.

According to the firm, the project will transform the aging structure into a new anchor of a three-building development called iLive EXPO Campus after a successful 90 million Euro ($97.8 million USD) fundraising campaign led by iLive and Die Wohnkompanie Nord.

The structure had sat abandoned since its completion 23 years ago, often attracting illegal visits from architects eager for a peek at its three-level interior that has since become overgrown with the local flora while retaining its original structural integrity.

Image © MVRDV and © iLive Expo Campus

“The theme of the Dutch entry for Expo 2000 was ‘Holland Creates Space,’ and we did exactly that in 2000 by stacking typical Dutch landscapes up to 40 meters high, so that a large wild garden could be created around the pavilion,” MVRD...

Appels Architekten designs prefabricated wooden home in Bavaria

2023-03-28T14:49:00-04:00

Zurich-based firm Appels Architekten has designed an open, simplistic family home in Bavaria, Germany, composed of wooden cubes.

Called “House by the Lake,” the home balances privacy and spaces for gathering. As detailed by the architects, this configuration allows residents to retreat or participate in communal living at any time.

All of the private rooms are housed within a sculpture of wooden volumes. Ample open space is made available both horizontally and vertically, drawing light into the house and offering views into the garden and surrounding environment. These features are maximized through the house’s generous ceiling height, light interiors, and expansive windows.

Santiago Calatrava unveils high-end Düsseldorf complex named Calatrava Boulevard

2023-01-26T12:00:00-05:00

Santiago Calatrava has unveiled a design proposal for a luxury mixed-use complex in Düsseldorf, Germany. Named Calatrava Boulevard and situated on Düsseldorf’s swanky Königsallee, the 375,000-square-foot development includes workplace, luxury retail, and upmarket restaurant spaces.

Image credit: Santiago Calatrava LLC

The scheme’s signature architectural element will be a curved, vaulted 135-foot-long roof orientated towards Martin-Luther-Platz, shaped to remain below the typical height of high-rise buildings in the area. The complex’s remaining roofscape will be topped with landscaped terraces containing integrated solar panels.

Image credit: Santiago Calatrava LLC

Inside, the first two levels of the project will contain 160,000 square feet of luxury restaurant and retail space, while the upper levels will house 236,000 square feet of office space. The internal facade is clad with what the team describes as “sinusoidal waveforms” that sweep towards the external facades to create unit...

Berlin's world-record AquaDom fish tank attraction is kaput after apparent accident

2022-12-16T13:01:00-05:00

A giant aquarium containing a million litres of water in the lobby of the Radisson Blu in Berlin has burst, flooding the hotel and nearby streets. A spokesman for Berlin's fire brigade told the BBC the vast majority of the fish had died, and the cold weather had made rescue attempts more difficult. The tank had contained more than 100 different specie. A police source told local media there is no evidence the break was the result of a targeted attack.

The reportedly €12.8 million ($13.85 million USD) feature inside the central Mitte district’s Radisson Blu Hotel is considered to be the largest cylindrical fish tank in the world and was, until the accident, home to 1,500 fish. Only two human injuries were reported.

The current cold snap that’s testing the country’s morbid winter heating concerns is thought to be the culprit. Berlin police were forced to close a busy stretch of Karl-Liebknecht Street as a result of the damage.

There are no indications of a targeted, violent attack on the large aquarium in central Berlin, police say.

The fire brigade added that the giant tank "burst abruptly."

More: https://t.co/y3Ht4q63q9 pic.twitter.com/IJBKqRfMBm
— DW News (@dwnews) December 16, 2022

Heat pumps may hold the key to Germany's energy independence this winter

2022-12-06T12:08:00-05:00

After decades of heating their homes with relatively cheap Russian natural gas, Germans are facing exorbitant prices for energy. The search is on for an alternative source of warmth that is climate-friendly and free from natural gas. Enter, the heat pump.

The prohibitive price of units and installation is being covered by the government up to €60,000 ($63,000 USD). Still, it lags behind the Netherlands and other European counterparts in terms of the total number currently used across the country. Most estimates place contemporary heat pumps in the 250%-550% efficiency range (compared to 80% for traditional gas boilers), according to a report conducted by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Some DIY-ers are installing the pumps on their own, though companies like Valliant are trying to stay on top of the issue by establishing training centers to account for an estimated shortage of 175,000 skilled workers. The government says its goal is to install 500,000 pumps per year starting in 2024. Beginning in January, a banon new heating systems powered by less than 65% renewables will kick in.

Influential German architect Meinhard von Gerkan passes away aged 87

2022-12-05T19:11:00-05:00

One of the more prominent modern German architects of his time is being mourned after news that von Gerkan, Marg + Partners co-founder Meinhard von Gerkan died last week at the age of 87.

Born in Latvia in 1935, von Gerkan grew up in Hamburg after being orphaned in World War II. Following the completion of his studies at the Technical University of Braunschweig, von Gerkan opened the practice known today as gmp with his classmate and business partner Volkwin Marg in 1965. The firm won its first mainstream success with the completion of the beloved (now decommissioned) Berlin Tegel Airport design in 1974 and went on to grow into one of the country’s largest practices, with over 600 staffers and offices in Hamburg, Berlin, Aachen, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing, and Hanoi.

Tegel Airport in 2017. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Matti Blume (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Further projects for the Estádio Nacional de Brasília, reconstructed Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex, and Leipziger Messe (whic...

J. MAYER H. unveils ZIPPER - RKM 740, a new hybrid healthcare-residential tower in Düsseldorf

2022-10-14T15:49:00-04:00

J. MAYER H. has shared photos of their new ZIPPER - RKM 740 Tower project in Düsseldorf. Overlooking the Rhine on the former campus of the Dominikus hospital, the new high-rise development includes residences and healthcare facilities inside a 22,000-square-meter (237,000-square-foot) structure whose synergy they say serves as a “prototype of a hospital for the future.”

Photo: David Franck

The facade’s perforated metal curtain provides the zipper reference through a series of gradual openings that can be flexibly adapted. The arrangement of the facade also works to provide shade and wind protection to the structure, whose program is split into two 6- and 14-story volumes defining both the medical functions and housing component, respectively.

Photo: David Franck

Per the architects: “The dynamic, organic shapes of the building rise like clouds of mist towards a thin volume at the top. It seems to grow in horiz...

Inside MVRDV’s post-pandemic interior redesign for Shopify in Berlin

2022-07-14T09:00:00-04:00

MVRDV has offered an insight into their recently-completed interior redesign for Shopify in Berlin. The 1,000-square-meter (10,700-square-foot) renovation began before the COVID-19 pandemic but was heavily altered mid-construction to respond to post-pandemic work trends.

Adopting the view that individual tasks would continue to be fulfilled remotely, the pivot in Shopify’s renovation sought to maximize the building’s potential as a “base for working collaboratively with others, brainstorming new ideas, and engaging in the company’s vibrant culture.”

“This project gave us an exciting opportunity to think critically about how workspaces can be reimagined after 2020,” said MVRDV partner Fokke Moerel about the scheme. “Now people can work from home — and for a company like Shopify, whose work is primarily remote-first, that’s even easier. In turn, what was once an office becomes a space for employees to collaborate with intention, ...

What is the future shape of social housing? MVRDV looks to the 500-year-old Fuggerei for useful clues

2022-05-11T14:41:00-04:00

A central part of the Fuggerei social housing complex’s 500th anniversary festival of events that began over the weekend, MVRDV’s newly-opened NEXT500 Pavilion examines the future of the all-important typology through the inclusion of proposed designs which would install inspired versions of the historic complex in different areas of the world.

Inside the uniquely-cantilevered wooden pavilion on the central square in Augsburg, Germany, are three different proposals for a ‘Fuggerei of the Future’ spread through eight individual-themed exhibition spaces. The studio claims they are based on the same number of “building blocks” it developed after writing a “Fuggerei Code” using an internal study of the most effective elements of the iconic housing complex constructed in the early 1520s.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that behind the exhibition is “an admirable sense of citizenship, ...

MVRDV reveals O-shaped mixed-use apartment complex in Mannheim

2021-11-18T14:55:00-05:00

MVRDV has designed a playful, mixed-use apartment building shaped like the letter O. Located in the German city of Mannheim’s Franklin Mitte neighborhood, the building is one of four letter-shaped apartment complexes that together spell out the word HOME.

The 15-story building mixes 120 apartments with ground-level commercial units and a bar and terrace. Its distinct form also makes it a local landmark for the neighborhood. This project is part of a larger revitalization of the Benjamin Franklin U.S. military barracks in Franklin Mitte, which includes other works, such as the “Europa Axis” that cuts a straight path through the district and the walkable “Green Hill” that provides a viewpoint at the heart of the neighborhood.

The “O” sits next to the Green Hill and consists of a high-rise and a number of adjacent low-rise buildings. The “O” stands out through its blue brick façade and the bright, multi-colored balconies. At the center of the apartment building is a public terrace. I...

Daniel Libeskind designs a new mixed-use complex at the heart of Germany’s film industry

2021-11-16T15:11:00-05:00

Following up on recent superlative creations in Poland, Kenya, and Chile, Studio Daniel Libeskind is back with a proposed design that would bring a new media arts complex to the German city of Potsdam, just south of Berlin.

Developer Jan Kretzschmar tapped the firm to create a filmmaking-inspired five-building program in what has been considered the epicenter of the German entertainment industry.

Per the architect: “The design concept is focused on creating human-scaled buildings that encourage community and flexible office and public spaces throughout. The design proposes a 66-meter-high (217 feet) circular office tower that anchors four lower-rise arc buildings of 44 and 22 meters. The lower, wider buildings are to be built at the front of the street, with the higher tower set back from the street creating more open space.”

Spread out across an unused 94,000-square-meter (about 1 million square feet) site in the historic Babelsberg district of Potsd...