Hesse Architecture Prize 2020

At the end of November 2021, the Chamber of Architects and Town Planners of Hesse presented a total of five awards and seven recognitions at its Exemplary Buildings Award. In the category of open space planning and landscape planning, two special projects took home a prize in the Hesse Architecture Prize 2020.

A total of 124 projects were submitted for the 2020 Exemplary Buildings Award in the state of Hesse. These included projects in the categories of existing buildings, new buildings, open space and landscape planning as well as neighborhood planning and urban development. 21 of them made it onto the shortlist. And twelve projects have now been selected as winners by the expert jury. The predominant theme was “sustainability”. The award-winning entries show how planners and designers in Hesse interpret sustainable planning and construction. This makes it clear once again that the architecture and construction industry bears a great deal of responsibility for ecological developments on the planet. The winners of the Hesse Architecture Prize 2020 impressed the jury with projects that make a special contribution to achieving climate protection goals and a consistent circular economy in the construction sector. The state of Hesse, represented by the Hessian Ministry of Finance and the Chamber of Architects and Urban Planners of Hesse (AKH), gave these inspiring pioneering projects a big stage by awarding the prize.

Voices from the expert jury make it clear why an award such as the Hesse Architecture Prize 2020 is of great importance for developments in the construction sector. Brigitte Holz, President of the Chamber of Architects and Town Planners of Hesse and member of the jury, spoke of best-practice examples that gave courage for the future. For her, there is no more suitable means of highlighting the opportunities and qualities of sustainable design of the built environment. The award-winning projects prove that sustainability can be lived in everyday life and in living spaces. For Brigitte Holz, sustainability means that neighborhoods are planned with an appropriate density and are open to diverse developments. Furthermore, open space must meet the differentiated needs of a wide variety of user groups as well as the environment. Longevity also plays a crucial role. Brigitte Holz makes it clear that the built environment concerns everyone. In order to make it sustainable for the future, society, politics and planning must work together in new ways.

The Hesse sustainability strategy is looking for diverse approaches

Michael Boddenberg, Hessian Minister of Finance, cites further aspects. He sees globalization, the scarcity of resources, the energy transition and demographic change as the greatest challenges for the future. In order to be prepared for this in the future, the right precautions need to be taken now. With this in mind, the state of Hesse launched the Hesse Sustainability Strategy back in 2008. This acts as a platform where stakeholders from various sectors can meet and work on innovative solutions. Like Brigitte Holz, Michael Boddenberg also emphasizes the relevance of interdisciplinary cooperation between business, science, politics and administration. He also calls for a broad spectrum of initiatives. The Hesse Architecture Prize 2020 is a contribution to this. The competition makes it clear how diverse the challenges facing society are. However, it also makes it clear how diverse the approaches to solving the complexity of the issues can be.

It is important to take the initiative when it comes to sustainability

Hesse’s State Secretary of Finance, Dr. Martin Worms, listed some of these approaches. The subsequent use of large conversion areas and the renovation of listed buildings are equally important. In the same breath, he mentions the construction of new high-rise office buildings and intergenerational housing. Sustainability can provide great impetus. It always succeeds where building owners and planners take the initiative together and decide to act. Dr. Martin Worms also believes that the state itself has a responsibility to directly promote sustainable developments. He is quite satisfied with the role and willingness to act in Hesse. He says: “Where we can do this as a state, we do so out of conviction.” The award-winning projects should therefore communicate to a broad public how sustainability can actually be implemented as a topic for the future.

The Erbach Brücke 7 pop-up beer garden project by liquid architekten received an award. It was realized under the client Nelson Gameiro & Nuno Gameiro GbR from Frankfurt am Main. The project was recognized as a high-quality, careful intervention at a special location between the old and new town. A pop-up beer garden was created on the forgotten site next to the River Mümling. An airy wooden structure enhances the existing building. The existing vegetation was also integrated into the design. The new urban space and access to the river generate a quality of stay for residents. Founded in 1998, the office sees itself as an interdisciplinary team that, according to its own statement, likes to push boundaries. They originally submitted the project in the urban development category. It was moved to the open space design category by the expert jury. Jury member Véronique Faucheur emphasized that this in particular illustrates the close intertwining of open space and urban development. In its statement, the jury also expressed the hope that the project could be developed further in the long term.

Another award went to the Kunsthalle forecourt project in Darmstadt by Mann Landschaftsarchitektur from Fulda. The client was the Kunstverein Darmstadt e.V. with the support of the City of Science Darmstadt, as well as numerous donors and sponsors. The architects themselves say that they were looking for a response to the minimalist architecture of Theo Pabst’s Kunsthalle in the outdoor space. The award of the Hesse Architecture Prize 2020 proves that they have found a suitable design. The forecourt gives the listed hall a clear address. Jury member Martin Rein-Cano praised how the open space merges with the pavilion building. The interventions are minimal, but that is precisely why they are so convincing. The entrance situation becomes an atmospheric place. The selection of high-quality and regional materials was also praised by the judges as a valuable aspect of sustainability. The restoration of the formerly level topography will also significantly increase the usability of the open space. The result is a meeting place in an urban context.

The Hessen Architecture Prize as an institution

The Hessen Chamber of Architects and Town Planners awards the Exemplary Buildings Prize every three years. First awarded in 1954, it is one of the oldest and most recognized architecture prizes in Germany. More than 60 years later, prizes for architecture and urban planning have now been awarded for the first time. A clear statement that the transformation of cities can only succeed if all disciplines work together. With their winning projects, both liquid architekten and Mann Landschaftsarchitektur demonstrate what this interaction can look like. And how a sustainable approach to architecture can succeed.

Also interesting: together with VerkehrsConsult Dresden-Berlin GmbH (VCDB), Planorama won over the jury with its design for the redesign of the banks of the Rhine in Bonn. Find out more here: Bonn Rheinufer.