25.01.2026

Winnie Harlow: inspiration for innovative interior design and architecture

Building design

View of an innovative, brown-painted building in Assago Milanofiori Nord, captured by Massimiliano Donghi.

Winnie Harlow: inspiration for innovative interior design and architecture? Anyone who only thinks of catwalks and fashion is underestimating the power of diversity as a creative driver. The Canadian model icon with vitiligo not only turns ideals of beauty on their head, but also the question of how diversity shapes spaces – and what architects can learn from it. Time to leave the comfort zone and rethink architecture.

Winnie Harlow as a symbol of diversity, self-confidence and change in the perception of beauty
Transferring her principles to interior design and architecture
Analysis: Status quo of diversity and inclusion in the German-speaking architectural context
Innovative trends: adaptive spaces, user-centered design, digital and AI-driven planning tools
Interfaces between diversity, sustainability and digital transformation
Necessary know-how: technical, social and ethical skills for architects and planners
Critical reflection: debates, risks and visions of a “different” architecture
Global perspective: How the international architectural avant-garde views diversity as a resource

From catwalk icon to inspiration for interior design: What Winnie Harlow has to do with architecture

Winnie Harlow is more than just a model. She has become a projection screen for social change. Her presence stands for a break with traditional beauty norms, for self-empowerment through otherness. This paradigm shift, which questions visual conventions, is a wake-up call for a discipline that still too often thinks in standardized, normalized grid structures. Anyone who deals with architecture knows the longing for uniqueness, for something special, for difference. But how far does the courage to embrace diversity really go? Is otherness celebrated in interior design or does it remain a decorative fringe phenomenon?

In German-speaking architecture, diversity and inclusion are discussed at specialist congresses, but in realized projects they are rather homeopathically dosed. While Scandinavia and the Netherlands have long relied on participatory processes and hybrid typologies, in Germany, Austria and Switzerland the middle-of-the-road consensus continues to dominate. There is a lot of talk about accessibility, but rarely about the aesthetic power of imperfection or the added value of “mistakes” in design. Yet this is precisely where the potential for innovation lies: spaces that are created not for a standardized ideal, but for genuine diversity.

Winnie Harlow has shown the way: she uses her visibility to shift social narratives. Why should architecture be any less courageous? Applying this approach to the design process means enduring contrasts, working with breaks and understanding the unexpected as a creative resource. It is no longer about building spaces for the majority, but for a variety of lifestyles. This calls for new methods, empathy and radical openness in the planning process.

The discussion about diversity in architecture is not a moral fig leaf. It has long been an economic and creative imperative. Studies show that diverse teams are more innovative, that user-centered spaces work better and that the acceptance of diversity increases the resilience of neighborhoods. Those who continue to produce standardized buildings for average people are failing to meet demand. The question is no longer whether diversity is relevant, but how to design it.

It makes sense to read Winnie Harlow’s attitude as a blueprint for a new architecture. It stands for self-confidence, visibility and the pride of being “different”. Spaces that follow this spirit not only become more inclusive, they also become more exciting, more surprising – and ultimately more sustainable. Because innovation never emerges in the mainstream, but always at the margins.

Diversity as a design principle: trends, innovations and digital tools

The architecture industry is currently experiencing a paradigm shift. Diversity is moving from a buzzword to a design principle – at least in progressive niches and international discourse. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, however, the big breakthrough has yet to happen. Although there are lighthouse projects that take diversity in spaces seriously, they are still the exception. The mainstream prefers to plan for the statistical middle rather than for real diversity. Yet digitalization could give the idea of diversity a boost.

Digital tools, from parametric design and AI-supported planning software to participative online platforms, now allow unprecedented flexibility. Spaces can be simulated, variants can be played through, user groups can be involved – all before the first sod is turned. Diversity is no longer an afterthought, but an integral part of the design process. Anyone who wants to can use algorithms to map the needs of the most diverse user groups, including their contradictions. The challenge lies in combining these technical possibilities with social competence.

In addition to technology, adaptive, user-centered spatial design is becoming increasingly important. Spaces that can be changed, transformed and adapted – this is the new currency of architecture. Concepts such as “universal design” or the “inclusive city”, which are already established in Anglo-Saxon countries, provide inspiration here. In Switzerland, Zurich is experimenting with school buildings that can be used flexibly, while in Vienna hybrid residential districts are being created in which social and spatial boundaries are dissolving. But the road to diversity is rocky: too often it fails due to standards, investor interests or simply a fear of the unusual.

Another field of innovation is materiality. While the fashion industry has long relied on individualization and expressive surfaces, the construction industry remains surprisingly conservative. Yet new materials, additive manufacturing and smart surfaces could be predestined to make diversity visible and tangible. Why not facades that adapt to light, climate or use? Why not interiors that tell the personal story of their users – instead of soulless standard aesthetics?

But all of these trends stand or fall on the expertise of the planners. Diversity and digitalization are not a sure-fire success. Anyone who wants to work with them needs technical understanding, social sensitivity and, above all, a willingness to share power and control. The design becomes a process of negotiation, a field of experimentation for new forms of coexistence. The end result is the realization that anyone planning spaces for diversity must allow diversity in their own thinking – or they will remain stuck in mediocrity.

Intersections of diversity, sustainability and digital transformation

Diversity is not an end in itself. It is closely interwoven with other megatrends, above all sustainability and digitalization. Anyone talking about innovative architecture today cannot ignore this triad. But what does it look like in practice? The reality in Germany, Austria and Switzerland is sobering: much remains a flash in the pan, some projects are celebrated, but the big transformation is a long time coming. Yet the potential is enormous – especially at the interfaces between the disciplines.

Sustainability calls for flexible, durable and resource-saving solutions. Diversely designed spaces are inherently more resilient because they enable different uses and respond better to change. Adaptive floor plans, modular structures and multifunctional spaces are therefore not lifestyle gimmicks, but ecologically appropriate responses to complex requirements. Those who only plan for the here and now produce the demolition of tomorrow. Those who think in terms of diversity are building for the future.

Digitalization, in turn, provides the tools to manage this complexity. AI-supported simulations, digital twins and participatory platforms make it possible not to play sustainability and diversity off against each other, but to intertwine them. In Vienna, for example, neighborhood models are being developed that map social dynamics, energy flows and climate data in real time. This creates spaces that can adapt to their users and the environment – and not the other way around.

However, this development also brings new challenges. Who decides what diversity is relevant? Who defines the parameters that are mapped in the digital model? And how can we prevent algorithms from perpetuating existing discrimination? The debate about algorithmic justice has only just begun in architecture. Anyone who is really serious about diversity must not only think inclusively about spaces, but also about data.

Ultimately, the realization is that the future of architecture will emerge at the interfaces. Only those who think sustainability, diversity and digitalization together will be able to master the challenges of climate change, urbanization and social fragmentation. Winnie Harlow is more than just a symbol – she is an invitation not to shy away from complexity, but to see it as an opportunity.

Debates, criticism and visions: How much “otherness” can architecture tolerate?

The call for more diversity in architecture is not without controversy. Critics warn against arbitrariness, against an aesthetic of difference for the sake of difference. They fear that diversity will degenerate into a mere marketing slogan, while in the background plans continue to be drawn up according to the same formula. This skepticism is not unfounded, because real change is uncomfortable. It requires a departure from familiar routines and hierarchies – and not least from the illusion that there is one “right” solution for every task.

At the same time, the debate is accompanied by a fear of losing control. Those who truly embrace diversity must endure uncertainty. Digital tools are exacerbating this trend because they promote transparency and co-determination – and thus call traditional power structures into question. The role of architects is changing from designer to moderator, from author to curator. This is an imposition for many, but also an enormous opportunity.

Visionary voices are calling for a radical approach to diversity. They propagate the “fluid city”, which is constantly changing, or “empathic architecture”, which responds to individual biographies. In international discourse, such approaches have long since ceased to be utopian and are now part of everyday practice – from New York to Singapore, from Copenhagen to Cape Town. Meanwhile, the German-speaking world often remains in mediocrity, caught between a set of rules and risk aversion.

But something is happening. Young architecture firms, interdisciplinary teams and activist networks are driving the debate forward. They are experimenting with collaborative processes, new materials, digital tools – and, above all, with the question of how architecture can become a driver of social transformation. Their projects are not always spectacular, sometimes even uncomfortable. But they show that change is possible if the courage to be different is great enough.

The central challenge remains: Diversity must not be an end in itself. It must be combined with functionality, sustainability and social responsibility. Then the aesthetics of being different will become a new architecture that can do more than just please – it can shape society.

Global perspectives: What architecture can really learn from Winnie Harlow

International architecture has long recognized that diversity is more than just a social duty. It is a driver of innovation that produces new forms, new materials and new processes. Cities such as Singapore, Toronto and Copenhagen are focusing on radical inclusion – both structurally and socially. Spaces are being created there that not only allow diversity, but celebrate it. German-speaking architecture is still struggling with this. The fear of throwing proven standards overboard is too great. The temptation to market diversity as an exotic accessory instead of placing it at the heart of the design is too convenient.

Winnie Harlow shows that visibility counts. She stands for the courage not to hide, but to present the unusual in an offensive way. Applied to architecture, this means that spaces do not have to be perfect, but authentic. Mistakes, breaks and contradictions are not flaws, but sources of tension and friction. This is precisely where the creative potential lies for an architecture of the future that responds to complexity not with simplification, but with openness.

Global pioneers are demonstrating that diversity and digital transformation are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary: digital tools give architects the freedom to design a wide range of variants, organize participatory processes and operationalize sustainability. Those who embrace this can create spaces that are flexible, inclusive and resilient – and thus address the real challenges of the future.

But it takes more than technical tools. The attitude is crucial. Architects must learn to see diversity not as a disruption, but as an enrichment. They must be prepared to relinquish control, involve users and take social trends seriously. This is the only way to turn diversity into a driver of innovation – and not just a fig leaf.

Thinking outside the box shows: The most exciting projects are created where diversity, digitalization and sustainability are considered together. This applies to urban districts as well as small interiors. The future of architecture lies not in perfection, but in authenticity – or, to paraphrase Winnie Harlow, in the courage to be different.

Conclusion: architecture needs more Winnie Harlow – and less mediocrity

Architecture is at a turning point. Anyone still planning spaces for average people today is missing the signs of the times. Diversity is not a lifestyle trend, but an imperative. Winnie Harlow provides the blueprint: the courage to be visible, pride in difference and the ability to make breaks productive. German-speaking architecture can and must learn from this attitude. Digital tools, adaptive materials and participatory processes offer everything that is needed – what is often missing is courage. Those who take diversity seriously are building for the future. Those who continue to rely on mediocrity are stuck in the past. It’s time to rethink architecture – with more inspiration, more authenticity and more joy in being different.

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.