2_0_DiscoverGermany_Sept2014_Issue18:Scan Magazine 1
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Discover Germany | Special Theme | Top 10 Swiss Architects
to open their own firm back home in Zurich. The brothers love the challenge of ambitious and complicated projects: “We think that we work especially well when the circumstances of a building project are complex. For example, when the context is difficult, when the client is demanding, the agenda extensive, or when the budget is tight.” Thanks to their architectural creativity, they succeed in overcoming such obstacles and harmoniously balance vision and reality. The projects of E2A stand out through an interest for classic conceptual architecture, which the Eckert brothers take up innovatively and review to what extent those concepts are still sensible at the present time. “We are most comfortable when our clients are looking for content over representation,” explain the two architects of their work preferences. “We understand our work as an intellectual discipline, which does not chase a certain design but a certain thought.That is the reason we often design cultural buildings and spaces for the public sector, but equally for private investors, who also see the building process as an expression of cultural activity.” The size of a project only plays a secondary role. From a small detached family home to the spacious Baufeld H of the Europaallee in Zurich, the portfolio of E2A contains commissions of various dimensions. The work of E2A is highly regarded nationally as well as abroad, which is manifested in the many awards Piet and Wim Eckert have received in past years. In 2009 the brothers won the prestigious BDA Award Berlin 09 from the German confederation of architects, followed by the Green Good Design Award for the building of the HeinrichBoell-Stiftung in 2010. Amongst other praise, E2A can also be proud of the Swiss Solar Prize, which they received in 2008.
ity to realise the headquarters of the Heinrich-Boell-Stiftung in Berlin with a tight budget but with maximum architectural design. Close to our hearts is also the expansion and redevelopment of the Centre for Hearing and Language, where severely hearing-impaired children receive high quality education.The project was only possible with a great deal of personal commitment and has been on-going for over ten years now.” The next projects are already in the pipeline. After finishing the planning phase for the publishing house of the taz in the very heart of Berlin, E2A will focus on the biggest housing project in Hamburg outside HafenCity, the Pergolenviertel, which will house 1,400 flats. E2A has already developed the overall design concept for this
huge project and is ready to move into the next phase. E2A will also be responsible for the re-development of a 50,000 square metre industrial site near Basel. This makes for happy architects but does not mean the brothers rest on their laurels. “We always look for new challenges, which spark our creative juices and result in innovative ideas,”they add with a smile. www.e2a.ch Top left: taz Berlin. Photo: E2A Above left: Zentrum für Gehör und Sprache, Zürich. Photo: Dominique Müller Above right: Echer-Terrassen. Photo: Jan Bitter Below: Europa-Allee Baufeld H, Zürich. Photos: E2A
As flattering as these awards are, the Eckert brothers simply focus on the work.“To us the awards are not too important,”the two heads of E2A admit.“We just try to create buildings that we can be really proud of. What matters to us is, for example, our abil-
Issue 18 | September 2014 | 91