Apple Talk

05
Staab Architekten

Text: Peter Rumpf

Photos: Torsten Seidel, Werner Huthmacher and others
 Profile

Volker Staab In the depths of Kreuzberg, Berlin, two courtyards back, a transverse commercial
block, clinker facade, third floor, a spacious factory storey: the home of Staab
Architekten. You can’t get much more typically Berlin than this. Yet somehow this
relatively young studio and its 50 employees do not really fit in the Berlin scene,
as it is seen on the outside and indeed as it sometimes sees itself: Prussian, clad in
natural stone and a bit anemic, a dislike of ornamentation to the point of asceti-
cism, square, practical, good, and easily mistakable for something else, people
know each other, help each other, sometimes a participant in an invitation compe-
tition, sometimes a judge, flocking around Hans Stimmann, the almighty Senate
Director of Building.

As opposed to the architecture produced by Staab Architekten, which certainly does

not prescribe to a signature that is recognizable from afar. On the contrary, every pro-
ject is noticeable for its own expression, unconventional spaces and new, surprising
details. If anything a common denominator can be found in their concept of desi-
gning, in the “search for a reason for the shape“, which is how Volker Staab and his
partner Alfred Nieuwenhuizen attempt to define they way they approach their work.

So it comes as no real surprise that despite having a Kreuzberg address they have
only actually worked on a handful of projects in Germany’s capital city, and far more
in the country’s other federal states such as Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Saxo-
ny, for example or, if need be, Mexico and Australia.

Service Center at Theresienwiese,
Munich
For 15 years now the studio’s success has been based almost exclusively on compe-
titions it has won, starting with 1st prize in the nationwide open competition for the
Neues Museum in Nuremberg (1991 through 1999) and 1st prize in the 1992 invita-
tion competition for the extension to the Bavarian state parliament at the rear of the
Maximilianeum, Munich’s defining Acropolis high above the River Isar. And as the
only non-Bavarian studio to boot!
A successful liaison
between Prussia and
Bavaria
Maximilianeum, Munich
Redesign of the assembly hall in the
Bavarian state parliament
The fact that eight years later Staab Architekten was invited by the state govern-
ment to re-design the assembly hall of the state parliament, won first prize and was
subsequently awarded the contract speaks not only for the sensitivity it reveals in its
treatment of historical, in other words difficult building fabric, but also for the liberal
attitude of the developer. Much the same applies to the alteration work conducted
in Klenze’s and Döllgast’s Alte Pinakothek in Munich, whose original entrance on the
slender eastern side was re-opened. And, with a totally different outcome, to the
Service Center at Therseienwiese, the home of the Oktoberfest, at the foot of Bavaria:
an almost 100 meter-long block covered in copper sheet that conceals its facilities
on the interior and in the basement. Each and every one an example of a successful
liaison between Bavaria and Prussia.
Although neither Staab nor Nieuwenhuizen is Prussian by birth: one of them was
born in 1957 in Heidelberg, the other, four years later, in Westphalia. Staab studied
under Bernhard Hoessli at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and
Nieuwenhuizen under Gottfried Böhm at the RWTH Aachen University of Technology.
They have known each other, they say, for ages, and when the order book (the buil-
ding of a new chemical institute in 1996 in the Adlershof district of Berlin) demanded
it, Nieuwenhuizen came on board as a partner of Volker Staab.
A sort of division of labor that stemmed not least from a focus on totally different
building assignments quickly established itself: Staab concentrated primarily on
exhibition architecture (in addition to the Nuremberg museum the Georg Schäfer
Museum in Schweinfurt, 1997 through 2000, as well as others which were never
realized, or have yet to be so such as for Porsche in Stuttgart, a granite museum in
the Bavarian Forest and the Landesmuseum in Münster). His partner devoted himself
to the design of institutes, such as in Adlershof (1st prize, 1995, completion 2001), a
innovational affinity
of spirit despite
pragmatic division
of labor

Georg Schäfer Museum,

Schweinfurt

clinic for genomic research in Buch on the northern outskirts of Berlin (2001 through
2006), and university buildings in Heidelberg, Augsburg and Potsdam. Buildings
of this nature call for different experience from that required for museums, whose
method of function is determined primarily by urban planning and spatial qualities
as well as materials and surfaces.

Talk of a division of labor that is if anything pragmatic says little about the innova-
tional affinity of spirit with regard to their most important field, dealing with com-
petitions. Well-functioning team work is the only thing that counts there. And as for
how this leads to a solution, or to use the phrase again a “reason for the shape” it’s all
revealed in the forthcoming interview.

However, verbal virtuosity, blowing their own trumpet or even chastising fellow
architects is not their style, though in their branch you do come across people that
do indeed conduct their PR work differently. So it comes as no real surprise that
the biggest project the studio is currently working on, the enormous work plan for
which, during the interview, is hanging on the wall behind us, hardly gets a men-
tion: the spectacular alteration work on the Albertinum building, on the edge of
the Brühlsche Terrassen in Dresden. The two-storey repository will be suspended to
form a “roof” over the large, previously uncovered interior courtyard; hovering freely,
there will be a befitting distance between its outer edges and the four surrounding
buildings, allowing sufficient natural daylight to flood the new visitor hall that will
be created below. The bold construction, which the architects proposed in response
Georg Schäfer Museum, to the recent floods, when the River Elbe broke its banks, found favor in Dresden. So
Schweinfurt who needs work in Berlin?
 Interview

Alfred Nieuwenhuizen, The architectural scene in Berlin is actually far more diverse than it is perceived to
Volker Staab be on the outside. You have actually designed relatively little there. Are you none-
www.staab-architekten.com theless happy here or is the scene something that you just ignore?

Volker Staab
On the one hand it’s a pity that things didn’t really take off for us here, something
that at the end of the day is due to the recondite nature of the scene, which is after
all a bit special. On the other there were advantages as well, because as a result we
were forced, or were able, to build up a far wider base. That is something that now, at
a time when there is less and less work in Berlin, has worked in our favor. Studios that
were stuck almost exclusively in the Stimmann era Berlin, are finding things tougher
now.

Alfred Nieuwenhuizen
It’s true; we don’t have that much contact with the scene here. Our first assignments
were almost exclusively on the back of success in competitions, and they are for pro-
jects all over Germany. However, if you take a look at the judges sitting on the panels
of Berlin competitions, it’s quite clear why the opportunities for us and our architec-
ture are limited.

Perhaps things will change now that Hans Stimmann, the Director of Construction
in the Berlin Senate is retiring. What is noticeable – apart from the fact your suc-
cess was and still is the result of competitions – is the wide range of assignments:
on the one hand institutes and libraries, and on the other museums. Has this got
something to do with the kind of persons Staab and Nieuwenhuizen are?
It’s true; we don’t
Alfred Nieuwenhuizen
have that much With regard to our point of departure, not necessarily; at the very start of the partner-
contact with the ship, in addition to Adlershof, the two museums in Nuremberg and Schweinfurt were
already on the agenda. If anything, a sort of division of labor then emerged inciden-
scene here. tally: I tended to look after the institutes and Volker the cultural projects.
 Of course we did specialize to a certain degree. Nowadays I’m quite an expert on the
problems involved in high-installation buildings, and he knows all about buildings
where art is kept.

Left: the Staab-Architekten offices Does that mean that depending on the assignments involved in the competition
Right: Neues Museum, Nuremberg one of you assumes, and keeps the lead role, from coming up with a design down
to planning the minute details?

Alfred Nieuwenhuizen
No, from the start we work together, as part of a team. In our company there’s a small
competition department made of young members of staff. We have regular mee-
tings, at which we determine the general direction to move in.

What sort of size is this department? Six people?

Volker Staab
No, no. two, maybe three. And if the competition is a success, these young colleagues
get an opportunity to switch over to the implementation planning, in order to free
up space for others as well. It also makes sense because after one or two years wor-
king on competitions you can’t help but get a little tired of them.

If a studio takes part in competitions it costs money. I’m getting here at the cost-
effectiveness of your studio.

Volker Staab
There isn’t an alternative.

There is no It could be that in the background you are putting up run-of-the-mill offices, with
alternative to which you earn more for less effort so as to invest it in competitions.

competitions Volker Staab

Unfortunately not, though it is certainly the case that there are some projects you
put more effort into and some where you tend to earn more. Nonetheless, there is no
altering the fact that for us competitions are still the only way to land contracts. On
the other hand, compared with the early days, we are now privileged enough to be
invited to compile paid expert opinions.
 What competitions are you currently working on?

Volker Staab
For the Hafencity in Hamburg.

I thought that was already taken care of.

Volker Staab
It’s such a gigantic plot of land you can hardly begin to imagine who is going to live
and work there. In addition we are working on the Süddeutscher Verlag project in
Munich, which involves the publishing house moving from its present location in
downtown Sendlinger Strasse to the outskirts of the city, leaving behind an extreme-
ly interesting site, which could be put to a number of uses.

What can you tell us about the internal workings of your studio?

Volker Staab
It evolves from the projects that are handled by teams headed by a project leader.
Furthermore, a few years ago the studio also embarked on construction manage-
ment.

Was that decision taken on economic grounds or because of a desire to keep a

grip on quality control?

Volker Staab
The latter, no question. What’s more, in our experience it produces synergies, e.g.,
in discussions about technical details between those doing the designing and the
construction management. Planning ideas are passed on to the construction ma-
Volker Staab nagement department and practical experience to the planning teams.

But construction management is on-site. How does it work with far-away building
sites, which is what most of yours are?

Alfred Nieuwenhuizen
The radius from Berlin in which we operate is between 200 and 250 kilometers. If it’s
There are logistic any further we engage the services of partner studios, but retain the upper hand, and
our construction managers nevertheless attend all routine on-site meetings.
problems with
How many employees are involved in construction management?
Mexico and Sydney

German Embassy, Mexico

New Chancellery building

Heidelberg University
New Bioquant building
When the actual cost
ecology becomes
evident, people
suddenly get cold
feet
Maximilianeum, Munich
Extension to the Bavarian state
parliament
Alfred Nieuwenhuizen
Eight to ten. Furthermore, Volker and I keep in close contact with the developers. We
accompany them to all the important meetings. They appreciate it. Perhaps it even
accounts for some of our success.
You also design buildings abroad, in Mexico and Sydney. You can’t get much
further away than that. Were those just one-off projects, or can a studio the size of
yours get in, for example, on booming markets elsewhere, such as China? Several
of your colleagues now earn more money abroad than they do at home.
Volker Staab
It’s extremely difficult. Mexico and Sydney were closed competitions. And yet there
is no way round thinking about whether it makes sense, or not. Rather than China I
could well imagine working in a European environment such as Poland. In our expe-
rience there are logistic problems with long-distance projects. If it takes two days to
get there, for example, there is no longer any balance between effort and reward, at
least not as far as projects such as the school in Australia are concerned.
On the other hand, in particular abroad, German studios are renowned and popu-
lar thanks to their ecological style of building. What does the term say to you?
Alfred Nieuwenhuizen
As far as we’re concerned ecological building means first and foremost making sure
there’s a well-balanced energy supply rather than producing eye-catching architectu-
re. Storage mass is important, as is component activation, in other words water pipes
are integrated in the walls, better still in the ceilings in order to stabilize the mass in
this way and less by means of radiators and air-conditioning units. It’s particularly
worthwhile in high-installation buildings, but even in office buildings as well, where
there is an ever-increasing amount of heat given off by all the PCs, and especially in
laboratory buildings. For us it also involves sun blinds, but not simple type, which
disappear up and out of sight as soon as the wind reaches gale force 4. For Heidel-
berg University we developed permanent, horizontal folding shutters mounted on
the outside, with frames and aluminum in-fills. They’re perforated in such a way that
though transparent on the outside they still provide protection from the glare of the
sun.
Volker Staab
It’s often the case that at the competition stage we propose sophisticated ecological
concepts that appeal to developers. However, when it gets down to what it’s actually
going to cost they suddenly get cold feet and the end result is a relatively conventio-
nal solution.
Alfred Nieuwenhuizen
Yet just recently there has been evidence of a tendency towards this ecological style,
at least in the case of high-installation buildings: People are now looking just at the
investment costs, but increasingly at the operating costs as well.
Let’s change track! How do you approach designing? With a sketch pad, rolls of
tracing paper and a 6B pencil, models or just on-screen?
Volker Staab
The lot. In my case I still sketch things by hand because as yet I’m not as fast on the
Mac as my younger colleagues, who grew up with it. And we also develop a lot of
things with models. And the mediums change depending on the particular stage
Service Center at Theresienwiese,
Munich
we are at. But with us a lot of discussion always goes into designing. We talk about
solutions together, which then emerge of their own accord. To be more precise: From
the word go we set about looking for the possible parameters of a solution. There’s
not just one person but a competition team involved in that. We do analyses: How do
the surroundings impact? Which facilities have to be included etc.? Ultimately: what
are the parameters from which a “shape” can emerge? Or better: the logic behind an
edifice. Together we try to identify the possibilities a particular building offers.

Does this process explain why your studio’s projects are so diverse, something
that is highly noticeable? Though there is no sign of the obvious “signature”, which
other studios strive for. The Service Center at Theresienwiese in Munich, for ex-
ample, has nothing whatever in common with the museum in Nuremberg.

Volker Staab
If you look a bit closer they are indeed things in common, namely in the approach
to the design. Each of our projects conforms to a consistent regularity that emerges
from the building concept, even though in each case the end result actually looks
different, not least because the conditions are always different.

Alfred Nieuwenhuizen
In terms of shape and surface the Service Center at Theresienwiese is a response to a
totally different situation from the one in Nuremberg. In effect there is no such buil-
ding, because for most of the year “it is not permitted”. Flat, it crouches to the slope,
trying to hide.
Alfred Nieuwenhuizen,
Volker Staab It’s noticeable that you’re very present in Bavaria, in particular in Munich. Is that
pure chance, or are the Bavarians that enamored with you?

Volker Staab (laughing)

Probably!

Peter Rumpf was for several years editor-in-chief of the magazine “Bauwelt“. He lives in
Berlin and continues to write regularly about architecture in publications such as
Süddeutsche Zeitung.
 Works
Photo 1: Maximilianeum, Munich
– Extension to the Bavarian state
parliament

Photo 2: Maximilianeum, Munich

– Extension to the Bavarian state
parliament

Photo 3: Humboldt University, Ber-

lin – New building for the Institute
of Chemistry, Adlershof
Photo 4:
Neues Museum, Nuremberg

Photo 5:
Neues Museum, Nuremberg