Deutsche Bahn campus in Frankfurt am Main’s Europaviertel. Client: Aurelis Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG (© visualization)
Modern. Not trendy!
Creating responsible architecture with a distinct focus on people, environment and urban spaces
spa. schmidtploecker architekten. bda, with headquarters in Frankfurt/Main, is a rising star among architectural offices in the Frankfurt-Rhine-Main area. Founded in 2010, the architects Markus Plöcker and Christian Olaf Schmidt, and their team of 50 architects and designers, successfully work on projects both in Germany and abroad. spa. is more than just a traditional architectural office and explores innovative and unconventional solutions for offices, residential or public buildings. TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN
For Markus Plöcker and Christian Olaf Schmidt, a holistic approach to architecture is a key point in finding solutions for complex architectural challenges – starting with a concept and ending with successful interior design for a new building or the refurbishment of existing building stock. Their philosophy rests on three pillars: Social responsibility, ecological and technological innovation and economic efficiency. Social responsibility means 92 | Issue 64 | July 2018
recognising the important role architecture plays for urban development, but also to focus on longevity and high-quality architecture and design. “Our architecture preserves the identity of and the connection with a place,” the architects say. Their architecture is modern, but not simply just fashionable. Both architects first completed an apprenticeship as cabinetmakers, which
gave them both a greater appreciation for the responsible use of materials. Markus Plöcker and Christian Olaf Schmidt find inspiration in the work of architects that know their craft: Arno Lederer, Renzo Piano or Christoph Mäckler have shaped them, even though, today, not one particular style is at the core of their architecture, but rather the individual task and building which then shapes the design. “It is our goal to work and rework the design until we have found the optimum solution,” they say. No building is a singular entity but emerges in an already designed environment. “The vision of a complex and dense city, of a multifaceted society and a defined space for all people who will live and work here, is elementary for us,”