Living on Kaiserdamm – Berlin. Photo: Markus Löffelhardt
Hotel Telegraphenamt – Berlin. Photo: Markus Löffelhardt
Hotel Lillehammer – Norway. Photo: Patzschke Architekten/ studioastigmatic
PATZSCHKE ARCHITEKTEN – FOCUS ON HUMAN SCALE “Since the early 1990s, we have consistently focused on a classic, traditional architectural style – even though this was considered almost revolutionary in Germany at the time,” says architect Robert Patzschke. Since its founding in 1969 by twin brothers Jürgen and Rüdiger Patzschke, Patzschke Architekten has been an integral part of the German architectural landscape and celebrated its 56th anniversary in 2025. Today, the family business is run by Robert, Tatjana, and Thaddäus Patzschke together with Michael Mohn and Jonas Olfe. Probably the best-known post-reunification project is the reconstruction of the renowned Hotel Adlon Kempinski on Pariser Platz, which reopened in 1997 and remains an icon of Berlin's new classical architectural culture to this day. “People have always been at the heart of our architecture,” explains Robert Patzschke. “It's about human scales and proportions; 70
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Issue 137
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January 2026
about facades that are finely moulded and whose design elements bring the building's tectonics to life." With a large team of architects and engineers, Patzschke Architekten creates projects of all scales, from the initial design sketch to highly complex, detailed design planning. The architectural office's scope ranges from residential to office and commercial buildings as well as hotels and holiday resorts. On an international level, Patzschke Architekten is represented with branches in India and soon also in Norway. Large hotel projects such as the Titanic Deluxe and the Hotel Telegraphenamt Berlin – for which an old quarry even had to be put back into operation following close consultation with the heritage authority – are not uncommon for the firm. The portfolio also includes leisure hotels such as Steigenberger in Zingst, on the popular Baltic Sea peninsula of
Fischland-Darß. “Last but not least, the firm is increasingly involved in housing projects," explains Patzschke, “especially in Berlin, where the demand for affordable housing is particularly high.” Here, too, the focus remains on people. In the upcoming years, Patzschke Architekten will pursue a clever dual strategy: strengthening its core German market while targeting international expansion. While the focus in Berlin is on cost-effective housing, the firm continues to work on highquality residential, office, and hotel projects throughout Germany. In Norway, a design for a leisure and conference hotel was recently developed in Lillehammer, while further projects in the region are in preparation. Meanwhile, in the Swiss Alps – in keeping with the finest traditions of the Berlin-based family business – plans are underway to rebuild an old grand hotel in the canton of Graubünden. www.patzschke-architektur.de
TEXT: CORNELIA BRELOWSKI
Patzschke Architekten stands for human scales and realising the harmonious proportions of classic, traditional architecture.