Magazine

Hadi Teherani designed the new wellness area of the Krallerhof Hotel. The exceptional building features downward opening facade elements from HIRT kinetics AG

In the special topic "Healing Architecture", we engage in discussions with important national and international experts about the criteria for creating high-quality environments in healthcare buildings. The topic will focus on the complex healthcare system, including such specialized... Katinka Corts

Once again, a host of innovations were on display at this year's ISH in Frankfurt. New developments from the industries promise to open up many possibilities for a construction industry capable of implementing a circular economy. Leonhard Fromm

Due to the pandemic, the last "real" BAU trade fair took place in 2019. Regardless of whether we are talking about BIM, energy, technology or simply standardization and legislation: the transformation of the building sector is in full swing and a four-year break is no mere trifle in... Thomas Geuder

ISH, the world's leading trade fair for HVAC and water, which will take place in Frankfurt from 13 to 17 March 2023, will focus on sustainable bathrooms and energy-efficient technologies. Martina Metzner

She has been office manager at Werner Sobek København since 2022 and Director Sustainability Strategies since 2021. We spoke with Dr. Stefanie Weidner about sustainability strategies and the future challenges in the construction sector towards resource-efficiently constructed buildings that... Thomas Geuder

Tilla Goldberg is Studio Director of the Brand Spaces and Product Design & Material Lab studios at Ippolito Fleitz Group. We spoke with her about her approach to special design tasks and bathroom concepts that are fit for the future. Thomas Geuder

At Heimtextil in Frankfurt, everything revolved around "circularity" — starting from procurement, material composition, production to the use and return of fabrics and wallpapers. Martina Metzner

Christina Dreesen, associate director at Arup and head of the Change Advisory department in Germany, has been accompanying office transformation processes for many years, also from a psychological perspective. Thomas Geuder

Claudia and Klaus de Winder from the Berlin-based office de Winder Architekten are convinced that the office will continue to exist, albeit in a changed form. So the question is what interaction models the office must stand for in the future and what the interior design should be like... Thomas Geuder

More than 2,200 exhibitors are expected to participate in Heimtextil 2023, the leading international trade fair for home and contract textiles, which will be held in Frankfurt in January — one focus will be on sustainability and the circular economy. Martina Metzner

Civic participation is booming. Better communication with citizens and their greater participation is being widely discussed. Should urban development become a common task? Or is it too complicated to decide on the many urban development issues in a democratic process? What should the... Christian Heuchel and Wolfgang Sonne

Prof. Christian Heuchel and his guest, Prof. Wolfgang Sonne (TU Dortmund University and Baukunstarchiv NRW), will discuss this topic. What are the rules that should be applied when building cities today? What are the basic principles of good urban development? How much democracy do urban...

Whether at Cologne Cathedral, the Colosseum in Rome or Notre Dame in Paris – natural stone has been a popular choice of material throughout human history and is now experiencing a renaissance in the age of climate change. Christiane Fath

Natural stone is one of the oldest and most sustainable building materials on Earth. Today, as people long for authenticity and nature, and environmentally friendly building is essential, natural stone makes a comeback.  Christian Heuchel

Paolo Cocconi and Carla Wilkins are designers at Lichtvision, an international office for lighting design. In this interview they speak about upcoming trends, the importance of sustainability, and what visitors can expect on their tour at Light + Building. Martina Metzner

Birgit Walter from Barcelona's BMLD is a lighting designer with a passion. In this interview, she is talking about the special challenges in the Spanish market, how important intelligent technology is, and what accents she is setting on for her tour of Light + Building. Martina Metzner

Light + Building will take place at its new date from 2 to 6 October. With around 1,300 exhibitors from 46 countries, it is well prepared for both lighting and building automation. Martina Metzner

Architecture shapes the identity of a location. Modernism, however, has brought about the emergence of a globalized aesthetic. Interchangeability and non-identity characterize many cities worldwide. How can this conformity of urban design be counteracted, how can a local identity be... Christian Heuchel

The material used to construct a building is decisive for its character and impact. Brick has been playing a central role in European building culture—building with brick was considered a status symbol for a long time.  Christian Heuchel

Before the pandemic, the team at HPP designed The Cradle office building for the INTERBODEN Group. Antonino Vultaggio is convinced that the flexibly usable timber hybrid building, which is designed to be recyclable and support a circular... world-architects

The pandemic has turned our everyday working lives upside down. But that doesn’t mean the office as a workplace is obsolete, says Ina Nikolova from the Berlin-based architectural office Kinzo. What is needed are sustainable and flexible concepts. world-architects.com

Smart Technology is increasingly shaping our daily life. While getting more advanced anddominant, the users are growing more skeptical. What are smart buildings and how do theycontribute to the fight against climate change? In what way can technology serve both thepeople and nature without...

Every city has its own built fabric, which becomes interesting when incongruous elements are combined. The existing fabric is juxtaposed with the new in surprising ways that ultimately aim to become part of the whole.

The triangular building type creates a strong visual identity and an open character in the new city district. With its building edges of varying lengths and rounded corners, this building typology oscillates between solitaire and block. It thus succeeds in creating spatial references,...

Currently, buildings account for 40% of total energy consumption. In order to achieve the new climate targets, urban planners need to increasingly focus on climate-oriented design and energy efficiency. It is well known that smart buildings, i.e. buildings that are equipped with intelligent... Christiane Fath

A lofty warehouse is the striking urban figure of the new building complex in Cologne Deutz. A cube clad on all sides in translucent acrylic panels, it seems to hover above a glazed plinth. This pedestal area provides a view of the processes taking place inside. Opening up and...

Squares are public spaces in the city that enable democratic participation. Architectural elements include the framed space and the restraint of the periphery of the squares. The background can be designed as a delicate backdrop and should place people in the scene as actors.

Population growth, housing shortage, rising rents, the desire for livable accommodation — housing is a subject of intense political and social debate in Germany. Stakeholders in the housing industry are striving to meet the demands of people from all walks of life, both architecturally and... Christiane Fath

On the southern edge of Cologne’s city centre, a new urban city district is being created on the site of the wholesale market in Parkstadt Süd. Apartments and jobs for 10,000 people will be created. This is the largest urban development project in Europe in an inner-city location. For...

The site-specific approach always has a special relevance. Be it as a reference to the architectural context or to the scenery of the surrounding city and its history. The design references contemporary buildings in the vicinity.

In the midst of rapid climatic changes, urban space is also currently undergoing a phase of upheaval: open spaces and regionality are gaining in importance, the city is becoming greener and spending time in urban space is taking on communal characteristics. Architects, the city and its... Christiane Fath

The guiding principle of a “Lively City District for All” was used as the basis for an urban planning competition, which was subsequently realised. The task for the participating architectural firms was to implement the “code” from the public participation. Our concept aims to...

Every new building today has to respond to the old existing fabric. Appropriating these forms is often deemed to be conservative or bourgeois—a stigma that “creative” architects prefer to avoid. Architects should strive to reflect the past, revisiting questions and solutions of the...

In the second podcast episode, Christian Heuchel speaks with Kathrin Möller of Cologne’s residential housing company GAG Immobilien about housing being a crucial part of city life.

Of particular importance is the colour palette of this new urban district. Analogous to cities such as Paris, London or Venice, which all have individual, unmistakable colour hues, O&O Baukunst has developed a special colour scheme for Parkstadt Süd that refers to the colour...