BUILD - Architecture Awards 2017

40 Build 2017 Architecture Awards nitiating project development is a top priority for SEHW. Prof. Xaver Egger, who is teaching this subject at the Bochum University of Applied Sciences, sees the primary role of his company as capturing the whole picture of the community into which a project is to be planted. Whether it is a residential building, ministry office or a research institute, the most important question needs answering at the very start: who will ultimately use the space? More generally, a community-oriented approach: how will we live together in the future? Xaver discusses how the firm works to understand the answers to these questions and incorporate them into its work. “The architects here at SEHW ask themselves this question every day with a holistic view that consequentially results in a great variety of designs. Each place has its own history and its own future - perhaps it is undergoing change at this very moment and is asking for something new and looking for an architectural answer.” “An example of this is the remodelling of a former department store into an ‘urban farming’ project by SEHW. By using the spacious floors for greenhouses, a market hall as a meeting point on the ground floor and a restaurant at the very top of the building, the plan represented a sustainable and especially innovative future-oriented idea. An idea based not least upon a precise analysis of the demographic development and economic situation of the location.” Community themes are of huge importance to the architects at SEHW, such as the transfer of knowledge graduates from university and not every graduate finds a job. Confronted with this fact, SEHW dedicates a large proportion of its work to project development of knowledge-oriented institutions. Additionally, the research and analysis of demographics through to implementation of the findings are a core pillar of project development for SEHW. “How do we want to live? New modes of work demand new living concepts. Our new building reacts to these developments with modern shared-living apartments. The compact, five-story building stands as a courtyard building in a typical Berlin block. It is oriented, in building depth and cubature, on the adjoining neighboring buildings, but projects out from the existing buildings through its modern façade-design made of anthracite-colored plaster, floor- length windows, and metal balconies interconnecting pairs of residential units.” “Our contribution for the new construction of the Gustav-Heinemann-School in Essen-Schonnebeck was awarded the first prize in the competition. The design envisions dissolving the building into differentiated structural elements. A strict arrangement creates well defined external spaces within the school campus. In height distribution, the new school is kept in-plane with surrounding buildings. The offset of the individual building parts ensures a scale-based classification in the urban environment. Towards the West, the building protects neighboring residential buildings from the noise of the outdoor and recess areas.” “The MörnbachLOFTS in Altötting are located right in the middle of the upper bavarian Alpine foothills, nearby lake Chiemsee and between the cities of Munich, Sazburg and Passau. Just a couple of minutes walking distance from the historic city center we are planning the refurbishment and extension of a former medical building. After the conversion the building will contain 14 luxurious condominiums. Maisonettes at the upper two floors will provide a fantastic view over the city and its surrounding landscape. Two gardens at ground level, loggias at the upper floors as well as exclusive views into the planted patio will provide sufficient space to contemplate and relax.” The theme of colour was also central to the bilingual Phorms kindergarten project in central Berlin. The transformation of an old industrial building, which housed a primary school and secondary school, integrated the existing criteria such as high ceilings and large spaces and provided for a wide range of experiences in these spaces. Each space has its own theme and was designed with a corresponding use of colour. The entrance area is designed as an undersea world whilst a desert camel points the way to the lavatories. Best Educational Facility Design Firm – Germany & Best Bavarian Condominium Design: MörnbachLOFTS SEHW is a dynamic German architecture firm with offices in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and Vienna. We invited Prof. Xaver Egger to tell us more about the firm and the projects it undertakes. I Contact: Prof. Xaver Egger Contact Email: [email protected] Address: Wikingerufer 7, 10555 Berlin, Germany Phone: 0049 3030878510 Website: www.sehw.de AR170051