The house, built in a town in south Bavaria, is located in a north-south oriented narrow inclined property, surrounded by old trees, in-between two listed villas from the beginning of the 20^th century.

For better integration of the new building, plaster facing, prominent in both adjacent listing buildings, was used on the entire façade, using a custom-made mixture that was approved by the preservation authorities, and applied by hand by a local church plasterer, using a trowel.

The hexagonal layout resulted from the side distances prescribed by the building regulations. To stage the faraway view to the Andechs monastery, over the Ammersee lake, the building volume is raised in a tower, over the trees. To increase the lofty feeling, the living room was designed on the top floor, with an oversize opening. The kitchen, being the center of everyday family life, is connected to the garden on the ground level.

Great attention was given to large surfaces with untreated materials. Following the idea of a simple, sustainable construction, this is a brick building, without additional insulation. The selected energy profile is kfW 55, without artificial ventilation. Shading is achieved with deep openings, without any other solar protection.

The design was a collaboration between the owner, Andreas Schwab, who holds a degree in architecture while being employed as a product designer, and Huber architectural office.

Architekturbüro Huber

The post Schwab House was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The new offices of Ziegler, a timber company running one of the largest sawmills in Europe, grow from the ground in a clearing, creating a play of light, shadow, and wood, resembling a log cabin. The building is made of natural wood inside and out, since this is the material that the company deals with every day. The architecture introduces the company, Ziegler’s working environment, products and philosophy to the public.

The building is located on the border between the forest and the production areas, at the highest point of the site. The idea uses the most characteristic product in the Ziegler product line, the 19m tall spruce tree trunk. The logs rise and wrap around the building like columns, while the wood, as a natural filter between inside and outside, can receive a fabric shading system, protecting the core, clad in a facade of glass, wood and metal. The two cubes are aligned in height leaving two yards between them, so that each employee has their own window.

This idea continues in the interior, where the woodworking becomes increasingly delicate and the building reveals all the further stages of wood processing, from the rough wood benches to the smooth wooden surfaces of the office furniture: wood is used in all its diversity in processing, type and color.

The new administration building is a construction of solid wood with CLT walls and ceilings and two circular staircases. There too, the goal was to consistently showcase wood as a building material and to find modern answers for its use.

In addition to the showroom, there are offices for about 120 employees, meeting rooms and an enclosed balcony, a staff restaurant and a guest kiosk, all connected by a wooden staircase.

Brückner & Brückner Architects

Wilfried Dechau

The post Ziegler was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

This unusual building stands at the centre of Heilbronn, on an island in the River Neckar. It is conceived as a helical sequence of spaces offering an experience that is finely choreographed between the interior of the building and the surrounding landscape.

The new building forms an ensemble with a converted warehouse, framing a small piazza from where visitors enter the museum. Passing through the spacious foyer, they move upwards along the helix. This takes them through four levels containing themed exhibition spaces that focus on scientific and technological subjects. For young visitors there are interactive media installations, where they can apply what they have just learned to specific tasks.

The themed sections on each floor are offset in horseshoe form around the core of the building and a full-height atrium, into which pods are inserted that contain interactive stations. Finally, the helix brings visitors out onto a landscaped roof terrace that offers a panorama of the entire Neckar Valley. Also located on the roof are an astronomical observatory and an auditorium for experimental theatre. An alternative route leads to the basement, where the 360° Science Dome cinema and spaces for temporary exhibitions are located.

The Experimenta building is like a toolbox whose architecture reinforces the educational purpose of the science centre. It presents views out into the distance, while also leading the eye inwards, right down to a microscopic scale.

Sauerbruch-Hutton

© Roland Halbe

The post Experimenta was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The final decisions on the best architects 21 award are in. With almost 400 entries, the number of participants was higher than ever before. The diversity and range of the projects submitted was impressive, but at the same time a challenge for this year’s jury.

«It is exciting to see the vibrant way in which architecture is developing. Architects are meeting new challenges with a good deal of creativity and courage and are producing some surprising new solutions as a result. Most are guided by a strong concept that goes beyond formal approaches and does justice to the durability of the architecture and the often changing use over time. That development was recognised with this year’s award-winning projects.»

(Tobias Schwarzer, founder of the best architects award)

The jury consisting of Professor Johannes Modersohn (Berlin), Yves Moreau (Paris) and Patrick Schmid (Zurich) honoured 80 projects with the «best architects 21» award. An additional 11 projects received the distinction «best architects 21 in Gold» for their outstanding quality.

«With almost 400 project entries, it is not easy to set the evaluation criteria. The spectrum of submissions ranged from the largely faithful renovation of a stellar architectural residential building from the 1960s to an investors’ urban office complex and an architectural sculpture that ostensibly has no function. Is it even possible to define criteria that allow for the comparison of such diverse interventions? And whose achievement should win an award? Of course, the best architects award is primarily aimed at architects, but every architect knows that their work alone is not enough to create a good building. The role that the developers and authorities play is just as critical. A building of exceptional quality is therefore also always evidence of the particularly constructive collaboration of all parties concerned.

If we now consider the results of our adjudication process, then it is obvious that all the award-winning projects are characterised by exactly that kind of interaction between all participants. But they not only satisfy the original requirements by means a good compromise. Instead they manage to achieve something at a higher level on the basis of strong ideas. These projects thus make a contribution to our society.»

(Patrick Schmid / Schmid Schärer Architekten, Zurich)

The Gold winners of the best architects 21 award

In the «Residential single-family» category, the gold winners were the architectural firms Aretz Dürr Architekten from Cologne (DE) with their project «House D // 6» as well as Kast Kaeppeli Architekten from Bern (CH) and their project «Jurastrasse 58» and the Lukas Lenherr Architektur practice from Zurich (CH) for their project «Small house».

For their exceptionally creative and innovative residential buildings in the «Residential multi-family» category, the firms Atelier EGR Architectes from Marseille (FR) and their project «Jouques», BS+EMI Architektenpartner from Zurich (CH) and their project «Am Katzenbach IV/V Residential Complex», the Michael Meier und Marius Hug Architekten practice from Zurich (CH) with their project «Allenmoosstrasse Residential Building» and the firm Rapin Saiz Architectes from Vevey (CH) with their «Renovation and Elevation of a Residential Building» project also received a gold award.

A further gold distinction in the «Office and Administrative Buildings» category went to the «Hilti Office Mitte» project by the Giuliani Hönger Architekten practice from Zurich (CH).

In the «Commercial and Industrial Buildings» category, the SLIK Architekten firm from Zurich (CH) won a gold award with the project «Yond».

Additional gold awards in the «Educational Buildings» category went to the ARGE Architekten Hull Inoue Radlinsky + Wolfgang Rossbauer consortium from Zurich (CH) for its «Marzili Primary School» project.

In the «Public Buildings» category, the consortium ARGE Joos & Mathys Architekten / Daniel Nyffeler Architekten from Zurich (CH) scored a gold with its «Rüti ZH Parish Hall» project.

All the award-winning projects can be seen at www.bestarchitects.de.

About the Best Architects Award

The best architects award was created in 2006 to filter out the best and most interesting architectural projects the German-speaking countries have to offer in order to present them to a broad, interested public. In 2015, the award competition was opened up to participants across Europe.

The award is conferred each year on completed architecture projects that are distinguished by outstanding architectural quality. An independent jury of prominent architects awards the «best architects» label and the «best architects in gold» label for exceptional quality.

Due to the constantly increasing number of participants and the exceptionally high standard of submissions, the award has become a significant event in the world of architecture. The award, and the lavish publication that documents all the award-winning projects in depth, offer potential developers guidance and contribute to the dialogue concerning architectural culture. The award also allows award-winning architects and/or architectural firms to stand out in the market place and to position themselves at the forefront of the international architectural scene.

Best Architects 21

The post Best Architects 21 Award Results was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.