SoSe 26 - Main Course

The perception of architecture is subject to constant change. What was still award-winning years or decades ago now often meets with rejection and is consigned to demolition and destruction. In recent years, a shift in thinking has taken place. We view architecture from a different perspective—more differentiated and reflective. The preservation of buildings and materials has moved to the forefront; the transformation and extension of what already exists now take priority. The reuse of building components, too, is being tested, albeit so far on a manageable scale.

Whereas a design studio at the Chair of Public Buildings at the University of Stuttgart still bore the title “What I Have Always Wanted to Demolish” in 2005, such a question would hardly be conceivable today. “What I Have Always Wanted to Convert, Extend, Transform” is the contemporary interpretation of this theme. When I studied in Dresden from 1994 to 1996, the Neumarkt did not yet exist in its present form. The place was marked by war and destruction. In the years that followed, it was recreated—on the basis of plans that imitated, indeed caricatured, something that had been lost. The artificiality of the reconstruction, the emptiness and anonymity of the space, still overwhelm me every time I enter the square. It is probably the place in Dresden that pains me most—and the one I have always wanted to transform, to reshape, to bring to life.

We want to reconceive and reoccupy the Neumarkt as a public place: to transform it into a space that once again belongs to the city and its people—not to consumption and backdrop. We understand the square as a whole and complement it with one or more buildings. A place for the general public is to emerge, a space with a new identity that enables appropriation and participation. In addition to a hall for assemblies, the program includes a workshop space, a Library of Things, and a second-hand goods supermarket; it is further supplemented, among other things, by project studios and cluster apartments. We also want to extend the existing public buildings around the square, strengthen their presence, and create threshold spaces. The Transport Museum will receive a new entrance area; the Frauenkirche will be more strongly linked to the square’s urban fabric through small-scale supplementary buildings.

Methodologically, we build on the preceding semesters and reflect on the use of references in the design process. In this context, we examine iconic works of architecture, analyzing and visualizing them in parts in order to grasp their essence and particular qualities. In a next step, we will transform these buildings and adapt them to the specific conditions and typological characteristics of our design task.

We will investigate how they can be further developed, adapted, and reinterpreted under today’s conditions of resource scarcity and an “economy of means.” The project will be carried out in pairs, and work in the drawing rooms at the chair is encouraged. Within the framework of the advanced design project, it is possible to work individually.

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