Von-Galen-Grundschule
TYPOLOGY: Competition / School
COUNTRY: German
CITY: Gescher
YEAR: 2023
COMPETITION: Closed competition, 3rd Prize
COLLABORATOR: wbp Landschaftsarchitekten GmbH, Bochum
GFA: 4.117 sqm
CLIENT: Glockenstadt Gescher
The design carefully combines the historic building fabric with a modern extension. The existing façades are preserved and linked by a central, wedge-shaped structure that forms the heart of the school with its cafeteria, auditorium, and foyer.
All areas are fully accessible, with outdoor spaces clearly defined: a large playground to the north, a nature-oriented learning zone to the southwest, and a green entrance courtyard to the southeast. The foyer serves as a central meeting point and hub, connecting classrooms, multipurpose spaces, and flexible learning areas.
The new building respects the historic architecture while reinterpreting its language in a contemporary way—creating a school that is open, functional, and identity-shaping for students, staff, and the city of Gescher.
Dieze Training Centre
TYPOLOGY: Educational
COUNTRY: Germany
CITY: Castrop-Rauxel
YEAR: 1996
COMPETITION: 1994, First Prize
GFA: 3.000 sqm
CLIENT: GEWO, Castrop-Rauxel
PHOTOS: © Christian Richters
A branch of the Open University Hagen and a Women’s Retraining Centre – shared conference and seminar facilities. Anchor box plus geometric extensions. The alien conference element cantilevers acrobatically. Strict plan geometries evolve a three dimensional language of interlocking materials.
Cologne-Muelheim Harbour District
TYPOLOGY Masterplan
COUNTRY: Germany
CITY: Cologne
YEAR: 2013 – (2015)
COMPETITION: 2013, dialogic planning process
‘Werkstattverfahren Mülheim Süd Inkl. Hafen’
CLIENT: Stadt Köln
After a dialogic planning process in 2013, the two competing planning teams around kister scheithauser gross (Cologne) and BOLLES+WILSON have teamed up for the next planning stage. The development of Mülheim’s harbour district is still an on-going process integrating various interests and disciplines. The masterplan for this 52 ha harbour area preserves various grand industrial spaces to create a new district with a unique character and atmosphere.
Moebelum
TYPOLOGY: Retail
COUNTRY: Germany
CITY: Munich
YEAR: 2016
GFA EXISTING: 4.047 sqm
GFA NEW: 755 sqm
CLIENT: Möbelum Zentral GmbH
PHOTOS: © Florian Holzherr
Möbelum furniture outlet – a new facade for an existing industrial building/furniture showroom.
The stacked cassettes of the display facade integrate existing office windows.
BEIC
TYPOLOGY: Cultural
COUNTRY: Italy
CITY: Milan
YEAR: (final design 2005)
COMPETITION: Invited Competition 2001, 1st Prize
GFA: 83.000 sqm
CLIENT: Fondazione BEIC, Milan
COLABORATORS: ati BEIC Milan: BOLLES+WILSON with ahw Ingenieure and alterstudio partners
PHOTOS MODEL: © Tomasz Sameck
MEDIA: 900.000 books, 150.000 audio-visual media, 3.500 user seats
The BEIC is in the state of becoming. It already exists on the agendas of countless participating planners, librarians, expertly shepherding clients, politicians, Milanese and other future users. As the planning steadily marches through preliminare, definitivo and on to esecutivo phases, expectations multiply (optimism is contagious) and the physical character, the individuality, the unique spaces of this exceptional endeavour come ever more sharply into focus. Despite the grand scale the building conjures a certain intimacy for individual users. It invents an entirely new constellation of the ‘house of knowledge’, where digital ephemerality cohabits with our old friend the book. The emerging BEIC remains true to the concept that won the architectural competition. Within this architectural and organisational framework countless refinements have been invented (terracotta facade, the bar-chart-acoustically-absorptive interior panelling) and significant opportunities like the earthquake resistant wave-like ceilings have been identified and integrated.
Urban Concept – The site is linear, as is the remembered trajectory of the Stazione Vittoria. The BEIC’s two doors address the east (the centre of Milan, Viale Umbria) and the west (new subway exit, Viale Mugello and the new sport and recreation landscape beyond). An east-west pedestrian walkway runs not parallel to but through the BEIC – urban networking.
A 36 m high Urban Landmark – A vessel of culture and information, invitation, frame and enabler to multiple passages and trajectories. Entrance ramps fold surrounding pavements up to the +5.00 piazza, entrances and lobby. Reading arms extend out from the main volume.
Windows like that to the main elevator lobby on axis with the Via Vertoiba, tie through framed views the interior back into the urban context.
The terraces of the various departments frame a communicative forum, a landscape of knowledge. Reading salons nestled into the sidewalls of the frame or balcony edge desks offer a wide variety of working atmospheres. Warm acoustically absorptive materials provide the required library ambience.
Program – A 5 m high socle contains all functions outside the controlled library – Conference, Teaching Centre, Media Forum, Childrens Library with garden, carparks. The walkthrough Lobby gives a visual orientation to all departments galleried above. It flows into the entrance, general information and reference zones. Reading Rooms are on the north side, Users Own in the east arm, connecting to youth areas. Departments are on three upper balconies, with variable stores and connected via ramps in the reading arms – a flowing together. Workshops, offices and administration are in the 3 storey arm along the Via Monte Ortigara.
