28.01.2026

Opaque in architecture: more than just opaque design

Building design

Fascinating modern building with a curved architectural style, photographed by Declan Sun.

Opaque sounds like opaqueness, like matt glass, like privacy for the soul. In architecture, however, there is far more behind it than just the desire to keep out prying eyes. Opaque is a statement, a tool, a discourse. Those who build opaque today are not simply designing opaque – they are designing with attitude, technology and strategy against the naïve obsession with transparency in contemporary architecture. Time to demystify the opaque revolution.

Opaque in architecture is more than just a privacy screen – it is a material, a concept and a cultural provocation.
The approaches and standards for opacity vary considerably between Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Digital planning tools and AI are fundamentally changing the choice of materials and design processes for opaque surfaces.
Sustainability requires new solutions: Today, opaque materials must be convincing in terms of energy, ecology and social responsibility.
Technical expertise in design, materials research and standards is essential for professional implementation.
The debate about opacity is also a debate about privacy, publicity and architectural responsibility.
Global trends such as parametric façades, smart materials and adaptive envelopes are challenging the classic understanding of opaque architecture.
Architecture is faced with a choice: opacity as a way out of the glass desert or as a relapse into monolithic isolation?
Visionary projects show that opaque and openness need not be opposites – if the technology, context and attitude are right.

Opaqueness: from a simple wall to a complex statement

Opaque architecture initially sounds like withdrawal, the end of openness, the antithesis of the glass transparency that has characterized the image of many inner cities since the 1990s. But appearances are deceptive. Today, opaque materials and surfaces are anything but relics of anti-modern architecture. Rather, they are a reaction and reflection of a world in which visibility has become a currency. While glass façades have become the norm and a fetish in the world’s major cities, a quiet countermovement has been underway since the turn of the millennium at the latest. Today, opaque stands for more than just protection from the sun and curious passers-by. It is an architectural tool for renegotiating privacy, security and even identity.

In German-speaking countries in particular, the discourse around opacity has a special edge. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, there is a controversial debate as to whether the ever-increasing transparency has not long since reached its limits. The opaque element – whether as a solid wall, a perforated shell or a high-tech composite material – opens up spaces of intimacy, tranquillity and sometimes also resistance to the constant observation of the city. In Zurich, for example, architects rely on opaque façades to create identity in an anonymous urban space. In Vienna, on the other hand, opaque surfaces are celebrated as a means of combating summer overheating. And in German cities such as Frankfurt or Berlin? Opacity has become the new trademark of office buildings that no longer want to be suffocated by glass façades.

But opacity is not just a question of aesthetics or comfort. It is a statement. Those who build opaque today are positioning themselves against the uniformity of globalized architecture, against the interchangeability of façades and against the naïve hope that transparency alone ensures openness. The opaque building challenges our perception, forcing us to take a second look. It protects what needs to be protected and conceals what should not be immediately accessible to everyone. This is not a nostalgic escape into the bunker – it is a deliberate architectural approach.

Of course, there are also critics. They accuse opaque buildings of backwardness, talk of isolation and seclusion. But the reality is more nuanced. Opaque architecture can be a protective space without being forbidding. It can create contextuality where glassy transparency only produces uniformity. And, used wisely, it can even improve energy concepts by providing targeted shading and thermal insulation. Those who reduce opacity to mere opaqueness underestimate its potential – and miss the opportunity to once again understand architecture as a discursive practice.

The international discourse shows: The question of opacity is no longer just a technical one. It touches on topics such as privacy, security, sustainability and cultural identity. While Asian megacities are experimenting with opaque façades to counteract overheating and data protection problems, Scandinavian architects are focusing on translucent hybrid materials that mediate between translucency and protection. The architecture of the future will be opaque – but not in a one-dimensional way, but as part of a multi-layered design discourse.

Technology, material and digitalization: the new toolbox of opacity

For a long time, building opaque was simple: brick, concrete, plaster – done. But those days are over. Today, designing opaque surfaces requires technical finesse that goes far beyond traditional craftsmanship. Materials research provides a wide range of new materials and hybrid solutions, from highly insulating sandwich panels and ceramic façade panels to intelligent, light-diffusing membranes. Anyone who misses the boat here will be stuck in the monolithic 20th century – and nobody who wants to compete in Europe wants that.

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the standards and requirements for opaque components are high by international standards. Thermal insulation, moisture protection, fire protection and, last but not least, the increased requirements for sustainability determine the choice of material. Anyone planning an opaque façade today has to juggle with U-values, carry out daylight simulations and present life cycle analyses. The days of simply putting up a thick wall and then referring to centuries-old building culture are over – and rightly so.

Digital planning tools and AI-supported design processes have also completely changed the playing field. With parametric software, opaque surfaces can be designed not just as solid blocks, but as adaptive, reactive systems. Algorithms optimize the use of materials, shading and even the combination of opaque and translucent elements. AI-supported simulations make it possible to model the behaviour of opaque surfaces over the course of the year and thus maximize energy consumption and user comfort at the same time. This is not a toy for nerds, but has long been a reality in studios and planning offices that don’t want to lose touch.

Production has also changed. Prefab, CNC milling, additive processes – they make it possible to produce opaque components with unprecedented precision and complexity. In Zurich, for example, façades are being created that look like massive sculptures and yet are made up of highly insulating, resource-saving elements. In Vienna, experiments are being carried out with recycled concrete formwork and opaque photovoltaic modules in order to generate energy and provide privacy at the same time. And German research institutes are developing smart opaque materials that change their light transmission depending on the position of the sun. Anyone who still believes that opaque is outdated has slept through the last few years.

However, this new opacity culture also brings challenges. Complexity is increasing, as are the demands on planning, implementation and maintenance. Anyone planning opaque today not only needs a knack for materials and design, but also a deep understanding of building physics, energy efficiency and digital tools. The new opacity is an interdisciplinary field that brings architects, engineers, material researchers and IT specialists together. In short: if you build opaque, you have to build smarter – or better leave it at that.

Sustainability and opacity: a question of attitude and technology

Sustainability has long since ceased to be an add-on in architecture and has become a mandatory program. But how is this compatible with opaque components, which are traditionally considered energy-intensive and resource-hungry? The answer: it depends. Anyone building opaque today has to face up to their ecological responsibility – from the extraction of raw materials to dismantling. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the ecological assessment of opaque materials is now strictly regulated. Certificates, life cycle assessments and environmental product declarations are standard, not optional.

Today, modern opaque façades are high-tech systems that can do more than just provide privacy. They insulate, store, filter, regulate – and they can even produce energy. Opaque photovoltaic modules, recycled concrete façades, wooden slats with integrated ventilation systems – the list of innovations is long. In Vienna, for example, work is underway on façades made of recycled glass that are both highly opaque and thermally insulating. In Zurich, opaque wall constructions are being created from clay and hemp, which not only store CO2 but also ensure a healthy indoor climate. Those who build opaque can now build more sustainably than ever before – if they know how.

But sustainability means more than just material efficiency. It is also about social sustainability: opaque architecture can create places of retreat, prevent overheating and structure public spaces. In heat-stricken city centers, opaque façades offer protection against overheating in summer and thus contribute to climate resilience. In densely built-up districts, it creates privacy and security where the openness of glass has long since become a burden. Those who plan opaque also plan socially – and ask themselves how much visibility a society really needs.

Of course, there are conflicting goals. Opaque façades make it difficult to use daylight, can be perceived as monotonous or repellent and place special demands on ventilation and user comfort. This shows that sustainable opacity is not a sure-fire success. It requires technical expertise, creative solutions and an awareness of context and user needs. This is the only way to achieve the balancing act between energy efficiency, comfort and urban quality.

The global debate about sustainable architecture is therefore also a debate about the future of opacity. While smart façades with adaptive opacity are being developed in Asia, Central Europe is focusing on material cycles and low-tech solutions. Both approaches show: The future of architecture will be opaque – but never one-dimensional. It requires attitude, knowledge and the willingness to combine apparent opposites.

Vision and criticism: opacity as an architectural balancing act

Opaque architecture polarizes. For some, it is a bulwark against the omnipresent transparency, for others a symbol of encapsulation and opacity – both literally and figuratively. But what is really behind the fascination with and criticism of opacity? The answer is complex, and it reaches deep into contemporary social and cultural debates. Architecture is never just technology, it is always an expression of a world view. Those who build opaque take a stand – sometimes openly, sometimes subtly, but never arbitrarily.

The debate is often sparked by prominent examples. In Berlin, for example, opaque office façades are celebrated as a deliberate counterpoint to the glassy arbitrariness – and at the same time criticized as a symbol of isolation. In Zurich, opaque residential buildings are causing discussions about privacy in urban spaces. And in Vienna, people are asking whether the new desire for opaque buildings does not also reflect a fear of publicity. Architecture is therefore at the heart of a social debate that goes far beyond the question of privacy.

Technically speaking, there are hardly any limits to the design of opaque surfaces today. The range of materials is wider than ever, digital tools allow complex simulations and the combination of opacity with other functions – from energy generation to air pollution control. The challenge is to make sensible use of these possibilities without falling into mere showmanship. Anyone who only uses opacity as a stylistic device is missing out on the real potential: the architectural dialog between inside and outside, between protection and openness, between context and innovation.

The role of digitalization should not be underestimated. Today, AI-based design tools, parametric planning software and smart material control enable precision and adaptability that make traditional construction methods look outdated. At the same time, there is a growing risk of technocratic bias: if algorithms decide how opaque a building can be, architecture is in danger of degenerating into a pure data product. This calls for professional judgment on the part of architects – and a willingness to see technology as a tool and not as a substitute for attitude.

In the global architectural dispute, opacity is becoming a touchstone for the future viability of the discipline. It forces us to deal with resources, energy and society – but also with aesthetics, comfort and identity. If you want to play it safe here, you quickly end up with banal monotony. Those who have the courage to understand opacity as a discursive practice create spaces that can do more than just protect or conceal. The architecture of tomorrow will be neither glassy nor hermetic – it will be complex, multi-layered and open to dialog. Opaqueness is not an end point, but a beginning.

Conclusion: opaque is the new open – if you know how

Opacity in architecture is far more than a material phenomenon. It is an attitude, a technique, a strategy and a social discourse all in one. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the debate about opaque elements is more lively than ever – and it reflects the big questions of our time: How much openness can a society tolerate? How much protection do people need? And how can sustainability, comfort and identity be combined in a building? The future of architecture does not lie in the either-or of opaque and transparent, but in the both-and. Anyone building opaque today must build smarter, think more precisely and design more courageously. Opaqueness is not a step backwards – it is the next step. Anyone who doesn’t recognize this will be left behind.

01.11.2024

LAP 2021 awarded

Building design

The motto of the LandscapeArchitecturePrize 2021 was: Think bigger! Be immeasurable! — The motto of the LandscapeArchitecturePrize 2021 was: Think bigger! Be boundless! (Photo: Johannes Hloch)

The winners of the Austrian young talent competition LAP 2021 have been announced. The award ceremony took place on April 7.

The 2021 winners of the LandscapeArchitecturePrize for Students (LAP) have been announced. The ÖGLA awarded this year’s winners at the beginning of April. The motto of the LAP 2021 was “immoderate“. After times of austerity during the pandemic, restraint was allowed to fall. The designs had to break all norms!

The LAP is an ideas competition aimed at students and young graduates of landscape architecture and planning. This year, the Austrian Society for Landscape Architecture (ÖGLA) called on these young people to be boundless. After the recent times of hardship, the aim was to think beyond the minimum and most necessary. Accordingly, the ideas competition invited them to think freely and freshly about ideas and perspectives for open spaces in the city. The winners of the LAP2021 have now been announced.

The ÖGLA awards the LAP every two years. This prize, designed as an ideas competition, is aimed at students and young practitioners in landscape architecture and landscape planning. This competition regularly gives them the opportunity to work creatively, present their ideas publiclyand compete with their peers. For the LAP 2021, the participants were asked to think about open spaces without limits or restrictions. The up-and-coming colleagues were asked to leave all demand figures, norms, limits and economicconstraints behind them. They were allowed to dream up and design large, lush open spaces. Because the motto of LAP 2021 is: Think bigger! Reach for the stars! Let’s show that freedom is not only a valuable asset in emergency situations!

Impressions of the award ceremony (Photo: Johannes Hloch)

The jury for the prize met in Vienna in November 2021. On April 7, 2022, the winners were awarded their prizes. The jury unanimously selected Michael Tulio Bühler from the University of Applied Sciences Eastern Switzerland as the winner of the third prize. His entry is entitled “Canton Rösti”. Second prize in 2021 went to the team of Djordje Ilic and Moritz Blümel from BOKU Vienna, who impressed the jury with their entry “Tanja needs your help!”. The first prize of the LAP 2021 went to the work “NO NAME (Tangentiale Est)“, submitted by David Biegl from BOKU Vienna.

NO NAME (Tangential Est)

In the work NO NAME (Tangentiale Est) by David Biegl, the jury was particularly impressed by how the old excessiveness of a functional building is overwritten by the reinterpreted excessiveness of green infrastructure. In David Biegl ‘s work, an old city highway is planted, connecting the city’s large green spaces for cyclists and pedestrians. This gives it a sculptural character and at the same time elevates it to monumental status by painting it gold.

In this design for the LAP 2021, a new excessiveness becomes the norm. The jury found the handling of the existing building, the consistent approach and the excitingcultural and spatial context of the entry very appealing. In addition, David Biegl graphically created a space of longing that does not claim to improve the world from below. According to the LAP 2021 jury, the author knew how to recognize and understand a problem and to cast it into a monument through reinterpretation. Accordingly, the jury unanimously decided to award David Biegl first prize.

The second prize in 2021 was awarded to the contribution of Djordje Ilic and Moritz Blümel from BOKU Vienna. The jury initially debated the eligibility of the work, which was accessible via a videolinkedto a QR code. But in the end, the judges decided that this method and planning approach did not contradict the competition brief. In the end, the storytelling and innovative approach were even praised.

On the poster submitted for the LAP 2021, Tanja reflects the call of the competition: planners should act in a self-determined, courageous and unrestrained way. Tanja calls on them to free themselves from narrow-mindedness and shackles and, together with many other allies, to act radically, courageously and without restraint. The authors illustrate their approach of thinking beyond boundaries in a video. The LAP 2021 jury honored the contribution as an initial spark that can be taken further. It also praised the progressive approach to transporting ideas, which pushes the boundaries of the competition brief and forces the organizing team torethinkthe brief for the next competition of this kind.

The third prize of the LAP 2021 goes to Switzerland. The author impressed the jury with his suggestion to think about the challenges of the 21st century in terms of a new spatial-social construct. Accordingly, a new planning dimension for landscape architects was created. To this end, the work designs a progressive super-canton that easily achieves climate targets, welcomes migrants and shows how to deal with scarce resources. All of this becomes the engine of a model region with radiance, which makes the idea of boundlessness recognizable.

The jury recognizes that the contribution of the student from the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland is a purely internal view of Switzerland that does not highlight opportunities for the surrounding area. Accordingly, the work did not look outside the box and failed to show the impact on Europe. Although the jury also lacks the landscape planning approach of such a model region, they honor the borderless thought model. They see a special appeal in the scale and possibilities, which is why the visionary power reached the LAP 2021 jury members and they concluded the award with a third place.

You might also be interested in: the winners of the Landscape Architecture Prize Baden-Württemberg 2022.

14.11.2024

New local court in Tübingen: From military to court

Building design

The new Tübingen district court in Schellingstraße was remodeled by Dannien Roller architekten. Photo: Dietmar Strauß

Dannien Roller Architekten have converted the former military building in Tübingen into the new headquarters of the probate, care and insolvency court. With carefully considered interventions, they have not only preserved the existing structure, but also used it as an aesthetic tool.

Dannien Roller Architekten have converted the former military building in Tübingen’s Schellingstraße into the new headquarters of the probate, care and insolvency court. With carefully considered interventions, they have not only preserved the existing structure of the Tübingen district court, but also used it as an aesthetic tool.

How do we deal with the stock? This question is becoming increasingly urgent in view of the climate crisis. The construction sector is a major emitter of greenhouse gases, both through the maintenance of buildings and through the consumption of resources and materials in new buildings. In the case of existing buildings, it is therefore advisable to check whether a building can be preserved. Many existing buildings are given a second life through refurbishment, revitalization and conversion. This is also the case with the new Tübingen district court by Dannien Roller Architekten, which was completed in 2021.

The former chamber building of the Thiepvalkaserne barracks became the new home of the office in Tübingen following the notary reform in 2017. The challenge was to adapt the structure, which was built in 1907, to the new requirements in terms of spatial planning, technology and standards. From statics to fire protection, the building had to be brought up to date. To this end, the handling of the historical building fabric was fundamentally reflected upon. Should it serve as a support for new architecture or be deliberately staged to draw attention to the genius loci? The architects at Dannien Roller opted for the latter.

The transformation from a military building to a place of independent jurisdiction was to be carried out carefully, not only in view of ideological concerns, but also with regard to monument protection. The different uses of the rooms of the Tübingen district court made extensive renovation measures necessary. For example, the chamber building contained a laundry and a vehicle shed, both of which have left their mark on the existing building.

Foundations had to be replaced and the floor slab lowered. The ceiling above the first floor was also removed, which is why extensive safety measures had to be taken. Barrier-free access was also created, which can now be accessed directly via the historic archways from Schellingstraße. At the rear, former garage doors were converted into large windows, providing the larger rooms with sufficient daylight. In order not to disturb the original external appearance, the vestibule in the entrance foyer was moved inwards and deliberately designed as a lightweight construction made of wood and glass.

Dannien Roller Architekten left the new reinforced concrete ceiling, which replaced the original one above the ground floor, visible in the entrance area and the courtrooms. They also opted for a light gray wall coating, light-colored exposed screed and oak wood for the furnishings. The clear use of color and material is intended to give the building a clarity of expression and elegance for its function. For Dannien Roller Architekten, important associations with an independent court include dignity and independence, order and transparency. This should also be spatially tangible in their design.

Apart from the first floor with the courtrooms and the organizational function rooms, the remaining upper floors house the workrooms for judges and staff as well as the registries. In the course of renovating these rooms, new materials, a new design language and construction were added. Here too, Dannien Roller Architekten wanted to keep a low profile in the architectural gesture in order to create a calm working atmosphere.

The offices are arranged around a central meeting zone in the building. The kitchenette for employees is also located here. It forms the social and communicative core of the upper floor. From this central space, the offices can be accessed mirrored on both sides. An elevator will be added to the two staircases on the front sides, connecting the barrier-free first floor with the rest of the building. The new Tübingen district court is not only intended to be a home for the judiciary, but also to assure citizens that the best work for society is being done here.

The focus on a friendly, calm and clear ambience was of great importance to the architects. Especially in order to transfer the flair of the former military building into a contemporary working environment. The fact that something has changed on the inside can also be seen on the façade facing Schellingstrasse, where the building has been adorned with the sleek and timeless inscription “Amtsgericht” since the renovation.

By the way: just a few meters away from the old town of Tübingen is a historic building that was converted by Dannien Roller Architekten + Partner – and is still in use. Find out more here.