Construction of a double-arched bridge in Nordsternpark in Gelsenkirchen.
Architecture as a language Bauhaus or deconstructivism – architecture has always managed to fascinate people and to inspire planners to excel. Architectural designs are particularly successful if they reach people and appeal to their senses. TEXT: SILKE HENKELE I PHOTOS: PASD, DIRK MATULL
The PASD – Planning Group for Architecture, Urban Development and Monument Preservation – is an agency with some particularly appealing designs. But just how do they do it? Architect Jürgen Wrede, one of founders of Hagen-based PASD, knows the answer: “I think that our designs’ success is mainly owed to their transparency and liveliness. Designs which, on the one hand, appeal to the senses and, on the other hand, reflect the basic needs of every human being. It is safe to say that we ‘speak’ architecture or that the language of our designs speaks directly to people.” Designs such as Busan Metropolitan City, the awarded urban development plan for the South Korean city Busan, or the double arched bridge at Nordsternpark in Gelsenkirchen, which has been awarded the Renault 80 | Issue 84 | March 2020
Award for Traffic Design, certainly count amongst them. So, PASD specialises in public buildings? “No. When we founded PASD in 1987, we took part in competitions for the conversion of listed industrial buildings and then relatively quickly became known throughout Germany as specialists for restoration and monument protection. Projects such as the conversion of the Nordstern colliery into a contemporary office building, for which, amongst other things, we received the Business Week/Architectural Record Award, still count amongst our specialties. Our spectrum, naturally, has expanded over time, though. Our 84 employees at locations in Hagen, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Heidelberg plan innovative shopping centres throughout Europe as well as public buildings for cities, municipalities and
educational institutions. Together with project developers, we also realise residential constructions and commercial or private construction projects,” stresses architect Helmut Feldmeier, founder of PASD. And how does PASD see its future? “Sustainable building is an extremely important topic for us. This year, we will begin with the construction of a sustainable building for an international research institute. It marks our first step on this new path,”say Wrede and Feldmeier. www.pasd.de
For more than 30 years the company founders Dipl.-Ing. Architect Jürgen Wrede (l.) and Dipl.-Ing. Architect Helmut Feldmeier (r.) have been managing the business of PASD.