Seelhorst is a 1960s linear housing estate on the outskirts of Hanover. The residential ensemble developed by Gundlach comprises 130 apartments in 11 buildings and is characterised by a woodland-like atmosphere, which is currently disrupted by sealed parking areas and garage structures. The project aims to energetically modernise the existing buildings, create additional housing and at the same time preserve the green identity of the neighbourhood. Cost-efficient, climate-friendly measures secure long-term affordable housing and counteract gentrification. Implementation takes place in phases while the buildings remain occupied.

Densification is achieved through vertical extension. The existing settlement and building typology, generous green spaces and the characteristic tree stock are preserved. Previously unused attic spaces are dismantled and replaced by shallow-pitched, asymmetrical gable roofs. The extension integrates seamlessly into the existing building structure and, together with the refurbished façades, forms a coherent new architectural unit. The overall urban appearance is maintained.

The buildings are extended by one additional storey using fast, low-noise timber construction, creating 50 to 60 new apartments. Structural loads are transferred into the existing building framework, avoiding major interventions in the original structure. The new roof surfaces are largely covered with photovoltaic modules. A prefabricated balcony structure extends the living spaces and significantly improves the quality of the existing apartments. The façades are upgraded with biogenic cellulose blow-in insulation, while the balcony structures are designed as steel constructions.

Overall energy demand is significantly reduced. Space heating is provided by air-to-water heat pumps, while domestic hot water is supplied via electric instantaneous water heaters.

The new apartments introduce a diverse housing mix and respond to demographic change. In parallel, open spaces are upgraded and a future-oriented mobility concept is integrated. Existing trees are preserved, sealed surfaces are removed, and additional planting improves the microclimate, stormwater retention and biodiversity.

Lagodekhi Protected Areas (LPA) in the extreme north-eastern part of Georgia at the southern slopes of the Caucasus and with altitudes from 590 to 3500 m, is one of the world's best-preserved areas with diversity of natural landscapes. The project of developing a TreeTop Trail as a new touristic product is to attract more visitors and, considering the transboundary potential of the LPA, make it one of the most attractive destinations, to be included in future transboundary ecotourism products.

The concept emphasizes the forest as the protagonist and proposes a minimalistic design, a circular shaped trail that gradually ascends towads the tree canopies. Additional program is added in order to enhance the experience of forest. This includes a watch tower, a dome, a large net, a cave, and multiple platforms.

As the entrance to Stuttgart's new main station, the A3 development site plays a special role in the urban fabric. In a location that, more than almost any other, symbolises transformation and public consultation processes, the open public competition 'Raum für Ideen' (Space for Ideas) highlighted what is missing from the future city centre: a consumption-free, weather-protected yet open space for the urban community.
With the O.A.S.E., we propose a social innovation hub here as public-benefit-oriented infrastructure – an Open Appropriation and Social Development Space that functions as a climatic and social oasis.
The reused supporting structure of the historic station canopy provides an overarching framework, beneath which a permeable fabric of open space and buildings emerges. In this sheltered interior, leisure and activity converge: people can simply be here, strike up conversations, initiate projects, develop them further together and test them in practice. Workshops, open learning and exchange spaces, as well as venues for display and presentation, intertwine to make social issues visible and negotiable.
This creates a new urban space that not only offers shelter and a pleasant environment, but also acts as a catalyst for exchange, participation and collective action, and supplements the city centre with a public infrastructure that has been lacking until now.

With the design for a new residential area in Nad Kamínkou, we see development not merely as the provision of housing, but as a catalyst for the sustainable transformation of the entire neighbourhood. Our aim is to convert what is currently a car-oriented and fragmented site into a vibrant, green and excellently connected district that brings together the urban energy of Prague and the landscape and scenic qualities of Zbraslav, serving as a role model for future neighbourhood developments.
The masterplan combines the potential of the busy Elišky-Přemyslovny Street with the extensive, green Borovičky Park. At the western entrance to the neighbourhood, a mobility hub serves as a clear landmark with a lively public square, making a strong urban statement. It enables convenient transfers between car, bus, bicycle and pedestrian traffic and marks the transition to a lowtraffic residential environment. To the east, the park forms a green counterpole with generous areas for nature, sports and recreation.
The neighbourhood mediates both spatially and functionally between these two poles, balancing urban intensity and landscape openness while offering a careful interplay of privacy and permeability. Three green axes structure the area: a communal north axis with a square, orchard and gardens, a blue-green axis with visible rainwater management, and a green boulevard in the south. The architecture follows this logic: Terraced block structures define clear spatial boundaries and lively ground floor areas, while detached city villas create create a smooth transition to the park. Shared courtyards connect architecture and open space.

The Waldhäuser Ost housing estate, built in the 1970s, is undergoing comprehensive energy efficiency upgrades and careful redevelopment. The location of the building in an earthquake zone poses a particular challenge, as it does not allow for classic building extensions under normal static conditions. The necessary earthquake safety is therefore achieved through targeted measures to reinforce the building: Reinforcing balcony walls and additional northern extensions take on load-bearing functions and at the same time enable the creation of additional living space.

Two of the three building sections will be extended using lightweight timber construction. This method reduces the dead weight of the structure while also meeting high standards of sustainability and cost-effectiveness. In order to retain the existing residents in the long term, the energy-efficient renovation of the facade will be deliberately limited to the necessary extent. Serially manufactured, recyclable components are used; openings and balconies are based on the existing building in terms of scale and appearance. In this way, structural improvements can be made without triggering a noticeable increase in rent.

The energy efficiency upgrade of the building envelope is combined with an extension of the balconies and a new, contemporary color and facade concept. In addition, northern extensions, additional stories, and the conversion of the existing ground floor and garden level apartments into maisonette apartments for large families will significantly expand and diversify the mix of apartments.

More generously designed outdoor seating areas and improved outdoor spaces also enhance the quality of life and strengthen the overall quality of living in the neighborhood.

The development vision transforms the former industrial site into an urban, mixed-use neighborhood. The proposal relies on clear spatial edges, strong address formation, and a carefully calibrated relationship between living, working, and public space. Distinctive building corners, a finely tuned grain, and a differentiated height profile create orientation and identity.

At its center lies a generous public playground that acts as the heart of the neighborhood, framed by active ground-floor uses. A continuous east–west connection strengthens links to the surrounding green corridors and introduces new addresses within the quarter. The courtyard structures draw inspiration from the characteristic Listhöfe, creating protected outdoor spaces for housing, childcare, and community uses.

The open space concept focuses on climate resilience, diverse planting, clear places to stay, and the option of a sponge-city approach. Flowering meadows, retention areas, and green facades support biodiversity and a pleasant microclimate.

The buildings draw on local typologies: office and commercial blocks with distinctive plinth zones, and residential buildings with colour-differentiated façades, dormers, loggias, and mansard roofs. Flexible floor plans allow long-term adaptability. An underground car park, bicycle hubs, and short distances support a car-free lifestyle. The result is a vibrant urban building block that brings together openness, diversity, and high-quality open spaces to form a clear and robust neighborhood.

Sustainable and Community-Oriented Neighbourhood
The project is developing a sustainable, community-oriented and ecologically responsible residential neighbourhood. A central neighbourhood axis connects the neighbourhoods, provides recreational and play areas, and integrates climate-friendly elements such as trees, unsealed surfaces and rainwater management. Green courtyards structure the neighbourhood, promote biodiversity and create lively places for interaction.

Active Ground Floors and Building Types
The ground floors activate neighbourhood life with co-working spaces, workshops, guest apartments, a daycare centre, mobility services and small-scale commercial enterprises. Three building types – polygon, point and bar – enable diverse forms of living, clear orientation and serial, economical implementation. The project will be realised in four construction phases, integrating existing buildings.

Pilot Project for Circular Construction
The polygonal structure serves as a pilot project for circular construction. It is characterised by simple cubature, timber construction, biogenic insulation materials, low-tech building services, reduced spans and uniform grids. These principles ensure dismantlability, material efficiency, short construction times and cost advantages. The experience gained will form the basis for all subsequent construction phases.

Open Spaces and Climate Resilience
The open spaces are clearly structured and interconnected. Open courtyards, small neighbourhood squares and a car-free axis with play, sports and recreation areas ensure orientation, interaction and a high quality of life. Unsealed surfaces, climate-resilient vegetation, meadows and decentralised rainwater management create 'cool islands' and increase the climate resilience of the neighbourhood.

Diverse Housing Supply and New Identity
A total of around 440 residential units of various sizes and types are being built – from small flats to cluster and family flats. The mix of housing, community, social facilities and neighbourhood-friendly businesses creates a lively, sustainable and future-proof neighbourhood that is oriented towards the scale of the location and at the same time creates new identities.

The Kiosk project was developed in response to the removal of informal structures in Dhermi, a fast-growing tourist village on Albania's coast. With tourism rising, the need for organized, adaptable infrastructure became pressing.

The design focuses on sun protection, upper-level storage, and layout flexibility for various vendors. Modular and affordable, the kiosk is easy to build, dismantle, and relocate using local, climate-appropriate materials. Its defining feature; a tapered, canopy-box roof, opens for shade by day and closes for secure overnight storage. This dynamic element allows smooth transitions between active use and closure, aligning with daily commercial rhythms.

The open ground level supports multiple configurations, while design investment is concentrated in the expressive roof. Quick to assemble and season-ready, the kiosk offers a cost-effective, climate-responsive solution for small businesses.

The Kiosk was one of the pavilions displayed at the first editoin of Bread&Heat Festival, which took place in Tirana, Albania, in June 2025.

Integration and community
The starting point of the design is a coherent, compact structure that creates a clear urban figure that fits naturally into the logic of the master plan. The block structure creates a spacious, communal inner courtyard that is available to all residents. At the same time, the closed construction method achieves maximum structural noise protection.

Contextualization
The design defines a clear urban prelude on Dottendorfer Strasse: a six-storey building marks the entrance to the district. With its staggered heights towards the southern residential quarter, the building blends naturally into the scale of the surroundings. On the first floor, an open passageway connects the public street space with the quiet, green inner courtyard.

Framework and accentuation
The boulevard is emphasized by the positioning of the building and defined in terms of urban space. A clear edge is created towards Dottendorfer Strasse, which appropriately accompanies the main traffic axis. On the public square, the building makes an active contribution to programmatic revitalization with its mix of uses.

Modularity and right angles
The design consistently implements the principle of modularity. The use of prefabricated elements is optimized by avoiding special solutions, consistent orthogonality, high repetition rates and adherence to simple 90° geometries. The targeted resolution of the block at the corners avoids complex special solutions and creates ideal lighting conditions for each residential unit.

Housing mix & development
The design differentiates the distribution of the subsidized and privately financed apartments into independent building blocks. This creates a clear allocation, simplifies address formation and enables differentiated development. The floor plans follow a logical stacking pattern and make optimum use of the structural grid. Towards Dottendorfer Strasse, a glazed arcade provides the dual function of access and noise buffer.

The design is based on the historical elements of Münster's cultural landscape and incorporates them into the spatial concept. Starting from the waterway, a carefully configured open space framework of landscape and park areas with site-specific focal points and functions structures the space and forms the basis for an attractive and future-proof model district. A combination of a high mix of uses for revitalization and open-use structures for flexible development
forms the structural backbone of an adaptable and sustainable urban quarter. New ideas of living, sharing and working together will become a living reality here.

The open space concept pursues a careful interlocking of landscape and urban development, in which the natural topography and existing biotope structures are integrated into the urban development. Starting from the waterway, the landscape flows through the entire design area and connects the new buildings with their surroundings. This creates a harmonious interplay between open cultural landscape, urban life and natural design. The focus here is on the use of rainwater, which is integrated into the open spaces not only functionally but also in terms of design.
The mobility concept is based on the promotion of eco-mobility with a clear focus on public transport, cycling and walking and thus contributes to reducing emissions, increasing quality of life and climate-resilient development of the
neighborhood.

Expand sensitively
SeThe design for the extension and renovation of the daycare center in Rosenthal-Schwicheldt is a careful continuation of the existing building. Characteristic elements such as the asymmetrical pitched roof and the staggered building structures are incorporated and developed further. Three new 'group houses' fit as independent volumes into a small-scale, village-like ensemble - lively, manageable and scaled to the perception of children.

Connecting in-between
A central corridor zone stretches between the existing and new buildings, which not only provides access but also connects: Places of arrival, meeting and community are created here - with a common center as a parents' café and children's library, play zones and glimpses into the kitchen. Everyday routes become experiences, the sequence of rooms is varied but clearly structured.

Integrating open space qualities
Outside, the characteristic trees will be preserved and become part of a climate-adapted garden that combines shade, retreats and play areas. The new building is being constructed using sustainable timber frame construction. Geothermal energy, photovoltaics and the use of ecological materials contribute to the daycare center's energy efficiency and sustainability.

(Re-)structuring
A clearly structured construction process in three phases allows the facility to continue operating - while at the same time making the construction process visible and understandable for the children.