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Top Architects and Urban Planners of 2025 Werkstatt 17. Photo: Schwarz Architekturbüro / Simone Kessler (simoarts.com)
Decades of experience and the courage to embrace change make Schwarz Architekturbüro a pioneer for New Work and reuse.
its impressive view into a space with a wow effect.”
“We draw on our own experience to determine which concerns merely reflect fear of change,” explains Jörg-Helmuth Schwarz, architect and managing partner of the third-generation office, and continues: “Our motto is: Leave your comfort zone. After completing a project, the client experiences a feeling similar to an iOS update: After a short period of getting used to it, you discover the benefits step by step and develop new and better routines.”
The potential was obvious, but the implementation required fundamental and complex measures: “We thought about the construction time and the demolition and ultimately came up with the idea of creating a kind of painting and varnishing workshop with imperfect, rough surfaces and colour accents at low cost.” Thus the idea of Werkstatt 17 was born. Successfully put into operation in 2023 after a compact construction period, it has quickly become a popular place for meetings, breaks and creative work.
WERKSTATT 17 – FEEL-GOOD PLACE WITH WORKSHOP CHARACTER The ‘Werkstatt 17’ project paves the way for a new era in the world of work, and shows how rooms in existing buildings can be transformed into new working environments. The location on the 17th floor, a tight budget and the conversion during ongoing operations presented the team of interior designers and architects with a number of challenges, but the result is impressive: A multifunctional space was designed, entirely according to 16
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Issue 125
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January 2025
the client's wishes. It can be used flexibly as a temporary workstation, as a meeting point for meetings and presentations, or as a prestigious location with a breathtaking view. Jörg-Helmuth Schwarz recalls: “The Werkstatt 17 project dates back to 2021. Due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, a smoking area on the top floor of a high-rise building in Nuremberg was closed. The client was immediately enthusiastic about the idea of transforming this place with Werkstatt 17. Photo: Schwarz Architekturbüro / Simone Kessler (simoarts.com)
In addition to classic architecture, HVAC and ELT planning, the Nuremberg office is enthusiastically dedicated to the topic of New Work and the associated interior design: “This topic is of immense importance to our office for the future. From February, our own offices can be visited to experience its conversion at firsthand and immerse oneself in the 'new normal'.” www.schwarzarchitekturbuero.de
TEXT: CORNELIA BRELOWSKI
SCHWARZ ARCHITEKTURBÜRO: NEW WORK = EMBRACING CHANGE