The Kunsthaus Göttingen generates the impulse for the city’s new art district and is also considered as a supra-regional cultural magnet.
At the same time, the new building carefully complements the small-scale structure of Göttingen’s old town.
The building’s external appearance uses details and geometries typical of the region, like projecting storeys and steep roofs, from the context of Göttingen’s old town and transforms them into a distinct design.

The building is naturally embedded in the historic city center and yet is clearly recognizable as a house of arts.
The flexibly usable foyer area on the ground floor is designed to form a link between public street space, the Kunsthaus and the public inner courtyard of the new art district.
Despite the cramped, small plot size, a column-free, solid reinforced concrete structure allows for surprisingly spacious exhibition areas and maximum flexibility across all floors.

The linear structure of the horizontal modeling plaster is reminiscent of stacked papers. It is a reference to the exhibits – works on paper – that are primarily shown in this building. An almost forgotten, historical craft technique was chosen for the design of this surface – combed modeling plaster. Using a specially made template with irregular grooves, the soft, natural mineral plaster was carefully combed onto each storey – a reference to similar surfaces on surrounding historical buildings.
The cantilevering of each storey not only generates maximum exhibition space, but also creates a link to the regionally typical surroundings with half-timbered structures and cantilevered ceilings and roofs. In its imposing appearance, with only a few shimmering metallic openings, the Kunsthaus also marks itself as a contemporary place of education with international appeal.

The new five-storey building with a basement and converted attic is used as a public house of arts. International and local art is presented on three exhibition levels within the context of temporary exhibitions. The focus lies on photography, new media and works on paper.
The exhibition rooms are lit by a finely balanced artificial lighting system and are therefore independent of natural daylight. Only a few windows built as precise openings offer specific views of the urban surroundings. However, the rooms can also be completely darkened by means of sliding wall constructions.
The top floor is used for art education. Large, naturally lit lecture rooms can be used for seminars, special events, presentations and openings. For these purposes, the west side of the roof was designed as an incised terrace area with room-high sliding glass windows. A small serving kitchen on the top floor provides culinary delights for events.
The basement contains additional uses such as storage, sanitary facilities, cloakroom and all technical areas.

Building project: New building Art house Göttingen
Client: City of Göttingen
Competition: 2016
Completion: 2021
Photographers: Simone Bossi; PREFA | Croce & Wir (shots of the inner courtyard)
Architectural film: Ertzui Film

Based on the concept of “form follows history”, the design dissolves the apparent contradiction of building a new building inside an old one. By merging the existing with an additional structure, a new organic shaped building unit is generated. This preserves the integrity of the houses on the street and the historical references of the building as part of the historic urban structure of Eisleben. Simultaneously it imparts new impulses to the surroundings with its independent architectural language.
A white-slaked hybrid as a new whole.

Apart from the four external walls the existing building was completely demolished. The facade towards the street was restored to its original look with a four-axle structure on both levels.
Since the old building would not have been able to provide all of the needed space for the archives; the existing building was extended with a spatial addition on the garden side. Through this process the boundaries between old and new were merged into one another.
The two external corners of the existing wall towards the yard were extended to the corner points of the former staircase extension. The existing roof was extended to the new outer axis based on the historical roof pitch. A reference to the roofs of the city of Eisleben, with its large, deep pitched roofs. There are no coincidences in the new Luther Archive, but the shape and form rather follow what the building and the surroundings dictate.

Like a solid fortress, the white-slaked structure is situated in the historic urban context of the Seminarstreet. The thick exterior walls, with a width of up to 1,20m are a combination of the existing walls, insulation and the new wall structures. The protruding window recesses made out of concrete build the connection between the former plaster recesses of the historic windows and the internal concrete core of the archive. All of the old plasters were removed. The layer of white plaster slurry that was applied later on, now connects the old and the new into a new cohesive whole.

Inside the building, the visitor is surprised by a spaciousness that may only be guessed from the outside via the large facade openings on the garden side. The Luther Archive is accessed from the Schöpfungsgarten (garden of creation) via a striking entrance in the deep wall reveal. The two-storey high foyer transforms the two-storey staircase extension that was located in this space before into an expressive, atmospheric room, which creates references to the garden and Luther’s baptistery under the steep pitched roof. Next to the foyer on the ground floor are public rooms, all of which are barrier-free. The seminar room is an open-plan space that forms the link between the street and the garden of creation. A large window creates a link to the ensemble of Luther’s Birthplace. The library and storage rooms are located on the upper floors and are accessible from the foyer via a partially open staircase.

Building project: Luther archiv Eisleben | Conversion and extension
Client: Luther Memorials Foundation Saxony-Anhalt
Architectural qualification competition: 2012, 1st prize
Completion: 2015
Photographer: Simon Menges
Architectural films: Ertzui Film

First mentioned in 1119, this church in the heart of Apolda is one of the oldest buildings in the city. After several conversions, the imposing building was used as a warehouse and depot for the church until 2017. Only the chapel in the eastern part of the church is still used as a sacred space.
As part of the International Building Exhibition – IBA Thüringen, an architectural competition was initiated. The vision of the competition was a concept for a conversion of the church nave into a cultural center. The purpose of that was to give this place a supra-regional appeal and to anchor it in the urban context as a space for community and society again.
Our contribution convinced with a radical, yet gentle design approach.

The idea was to build a house within a house, without significantly altering the supporting structure. The aim is to generate an architectural impulse that brings new life into the old building, but with its own radiance. The innovative power lies within the simplicity of the architectural idea, which reverses the relation of empty space. The existing structure is affected only minimally. An open structure provides plenty of natural light in the new rooms and a unique correspondence between the old and the new.

The new spaces and structures are flexible for cultural uses.
In particular, the ground floor – the new plaza – is defined as a large, multi-functional space with a unique atmosphere.
Above that rests the two-story lightweight construction. It houses all the main functions, such as a small hall, a children’s playroom and a large hall. The existing rooms in the tower are included in the new use. An open staircase connects these areas with the new spaces in the church nave.

The new building will be supported by a solid concrete structure. The foundation is provided by micro piles with a depth of up to 14m into the ground. Only two elliptical, curved pillars support the cantilevered ceiling above. Due to its dimensions and its cantilevered structure, this slab is designed as a span-bed slab.
The two floors above are covered and supported by a wooden diamond shaped structure. This net-like structure is composed of individual plywood elements. They give the implant its outer appearance, provide thermal and acoustic separation from the main nave, and merge into a homogeneous structure.
In addition to their basic use as window openings, the individual diamond shaped elements can also be used as acoustic membranes, for speakers or the under-construction of artificial lighting installations. In order to form a consistent whole out of the different types of construction structure, the exterior surfaces are painted white. The ceilings and floors inside are kept in their natural wooden surface. The separation of rooms and the necessary storage areas are realized with room-high wooden built-in cupboards and shelves. The existing structures in the nave and spire will be left as they are, with just small adjustments like new flooring and lighting etc. to bring the structure to a modern standard.

Building project: St Martin’s Church Apolda | Conversion into a socio-cultural center
Client: Evangelical Lutheran parish of Apolda, supported by EKM | Cooperation partner IBA Thuringia
Invited realization competition: 2020, 1st prize
Completion: 2026 – under construction

As part of the IBA Thuringia, a new community centre was built in the community of Rottenbach, in the immediate vicinity of the newly renovated railway station. Replacing a historic toilet block, the new building includes a community hall, a public lavatory, a kitchen and a storeroom. The one-storey public building with a hipped roof interprets typical, local design features. The new community centre is supported by a pure timber construction. A wood façade with a coloured coating, combined with a natural slate roof, anchors the building in its surroundings.

Building project: New community center Rottenbach, Thuringia
Client: Municipality of Rottenbach
Completion: 2024
Photography: Atelier ST; Thomas Müller

“Poet singing – the flowering sheets” is the title of a spatial artwork by the American conceptual artist Jim Dine. His work consists of large oak sculptures, wall-sized texts and a sound installation.
The housing for Jim Dine’s art is intended to be as simple and yet touching, as his work itself. A simple wooden structure is used to create an area of 40 square metres and a room height of up to 4.6 metres, so that the delicate coal drawings and the sculptures can be shown to their best advantage. The grey glazed, wooden facade, with the subtle shadows of the slatted cladding, bring out the independent appearance of the small building in the art district.

Building project: House of Words – Jim Dine: a site-specific installation
Client: Gerhard Steidl
Completion: 2022
Photographer: Simone Bossi, Guilherme Moreira | Steidl Verlag

The aim was to resolve the urban design contradiction between the large volume of the new sports complex and the small-scale surrounding buildings. At the same time, the new building had to be embedded in the existing landscape without denying its use as a school sports hall and club sports building. By staggering the heights of the new building, the relatively massive structure blends in with the site’s natural topography.
With its precise form and shimmering choice of materials, the building succeeds in appearing as a confident sports hall. The roofed main entrance serves not only as an address but also as a small tribune for the sports field.

Building project: Sports facilities at Biel | new construction of a sports hall for the Clara Wieck secondary school in Zwickau, Germany
Client: City of Zwickau
Invitation competition: 2014 | 1st prize
Completion: 2019

The neogothic St. Peter’s Church in Leipzig has, in addition to its sacred use, been booked as a venue for events more and more. But until now the church did not have enough restrooms. With the means of the neogothic era we inserted these restrooms cautiously and yet with a pinch of modernity into the listed context.
The old toilet facilities have been dismantled, the entirely outdated installations in the wall and floor have been replaced. Now, there are three restroom cabins in total, which are acoustically separated from each other by transom windows. The distinctive neo-gothic design features of the vault and the arched windows are being referenced in the new door elements. Traditional cement tiles, which can also be found in other parts of the church, were used for the floor.

Building project: Silent loo | vonversion and extension of adjoining rooms at St Peter’s Church Leipzig
Client: Ev.-Luth. parish of St Peter’s Church
Completion: 2013
Photographer: Martin Jehnichen