Duplex, Frankfurt on the Main. Photo: Thomas Mayer
The work of NKBAK Architects is characterized by the design of atmosphere and spatial quality – regarding their sensual experience as sustainable added value. “What always interests us first and foremost in all projects is the space and the experience of people in these spaces,” explains architect Andreas Krawczyk, who heads the NKBAK office together with Prof. Nicole Kerstin Berganski: “We are not focused on the method, but rather on the space itself as a living environment and its effect on people.” The use of modern tools plays a role in the creation of new spatial structures, such as precisely prefabricated elements that are used as room modules. “Nevertheless, our focus is on free, creative design and the intuitive creation of spatial atmospheres,” says Nicole Berganski. 46
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Issue 125
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January 2025
Duplex, Frankfurt on the Main. Photo: Thomas Mayer
Spatial structure, form finding and visual relationships, and above all sensual aspects such as materiality, surface texture, light, colour and temperature, right through to humidity and acoustics – all of these are aspects of architecture taken into account in the creative process. At the same time, architecture moves within a complex structure of interdisciplinary, temporal, social and economic connections, Berganski continues: “This complexity could explain why there is so often too little attention paid to the design, the conscious experience of space and its effect on people.” After all, it is people who ultimately animate and experience a space – as opposed to just looking at it from the outside. The paths of Prof. Nicole Kerstin Berganski and Andreas Krawczyk first crossed while
TEXT: CORNELIA BRELOWSKI
NKBAK ARCHITECTS – SPACE AS EXPERIENCE