Special Theme
Architecture & Design
Think global, act local With over 400 implemented projects, architectural office baumschlager eberle counts towards one of the successful architecture firms in an international context. Since its foundation in 1985, an exceptional business approach and unusual vision make them stand out from competitors. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: BAUMSCHLAGER EBERLE I EDUARD HUEBER, ARCHPHOTO
“We don’t see ourselves as visionaries. Instead, we seek to assume responsibility for society,”Tim-Philipp Brendel, partner and manager of baumschlager eberle’s offices in Hamburg and Vienna, explains. Thus, baumschlager eberle put special emphasis on sustainability, while their foremost goal is to work in a resource-saving way so that economic sustainability for places is achieved. “Our buildings should last into the future and should be able to be used flexibly,”Brendel adds.Their concept, which combines direct, practical value with user wishes and cultural sustainability leaves
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enough leeway to realise aesthetic visions and to live the passion of designing. A measure that effectively strengthens the brand baumschlager eberle is their decentralised organisational structure. Even though baumschlager eberle comprises of ten different autonomous offices in Europe (Lustenau, Vaduz, Vienna, St. Gallen, Zurich, Berlin, Paris, Hamburg), China (Hong Kong) and Vietnam (Hanoi) with over 140 employees, the different architects put special emphasis on intensive teamwork and exchanging ideas across borders.
Main image: Project 2226 in Austria’s Lustenau. Top: Interior of project 2226 in Austria’s Lustenau. Above left: Villa Kloser in Los Angeles. Above right: The Maison du Savoir in Belval. Photos: © Eduard Hueber, archphoto
“The presence of our offices builds an understanding for the local cultural framework conditions and for the specific needs of the client,” Brendel notes. At the same time, the knowledge of each individual location is processed in a way so that it can be applied at all other offices. Each office therefore has the entire group knowledge and is able to position itself perfectly in the geographically allocated market. Architecture that lasts Since foundation in 1985, baumschlager eberle have grown to offer everything from single family homes to administration buildings, hospitals, airports or urban development projects. Project 2226 in Austria’s Lustenau and its constructional and energy-related foundations sum up the extensive know-how