BUILD Q3 2018

Build Q3 2018 14 his includes a careful analysis of the demographic development of the area, the context of the surrounding buildings and the socio-demographic development of the city itself. Whether it is a residential building, ministry office or a research institute, the most important question needs answering at the very start: who will ultimate- ly use the space? More generally, a community-oriented approach: how will we live together in the future? The architects 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. Based upon the sheer numbers of students who change their programme of study or drop out, there seems to be a huge need for guidance in our knowledge-based society that indeed makes knowledge accessible but leaves individuals to navigate an ocean of variety alone. Not everyone 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. An example of this is the ‘Talentarium’, designed by SEHW. Here, young people from all walks of life can get an understanding of different occupa- tions and bring out their existing and hidden talents that can then be linked Think Outside the Box: SEHW Offers Individual Solutions with a Holistic View How do we live now and how do we want to live in the future? Initiating 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. T to corresponding career ideas. Businesses are equally involved in this project so as to allow a direct and fruitful exchange based upon commercial needs and recruitment options. SEHW takes an approach to problem solving that is both wide-ranging and innovative and offers a profile that can also be used by those customers who are looking for structural solutions with special requirements. These can be based on socio-economic developments, for example, as in the case of ‘shared living spaces for businesses’. These bring together the community thinking of the ‘70s with fundamental needs of businesses Professor Xaver Egger began his career in 1992 after getting his diploma in Hamburg where a partner office of the same name still exists. The trained carpenter complet- ed an architecture degree in Munich, making a short detour to the Academy of Arts in Düsseldorf. The trigger for the move from Hamburg to Berlin was SEHW’s first success- ful bid for a competitive tender for a large project with Humboldt University in 1996. Attracted to Berlin, it was possible to see the stimulating and rising mood of the 1990s with its architectural possibilities, whilst at the same time having to take on the task of building new relationships in a new and unknown city. It was this atmosphere that brought about the idea of the proactive analytical approach to project development. In 2000, a large British builder offered SEHW the chance to take part in the development of a Europe-wide project in the field of health and wellness. In various locations, new buildings and reconstructions or extensions were cre- ated which, in each case, develop different identities in completely different assignments, but nevertheless indicate a common theme. An example of this is ‘Holmes Place’ in Hamburg that is integrated into a building complex from the 1970s and has been turned into a spa. This was no easy task, but was perfect for SEHW and its ability to think outside the box. Further projects were undertaken in Salzburg, Linz, Cologne, Berlin and Lübeck. Aesthetically integrated, these buildings provide not just spa facilities, but are also wellness for the eyes.