Kaye Geipel: 6 notes on the work of sauerbruch hutton
A text by the architecture critic, urban planner and curator Kaye Geipel, published on the occasion of the exhibition "Sauerbruch Hutton: open box" in aut: info 2/23.
read more ...The façade of the GSW high-rise in Berlin, with its rotating sunshades in gradations of pink, orange and red, the three-dimensionally textured shell of colorfully glazed ceramic rods of the Museum Brandhorst in Munich that changes with the passersby’s every step, or the red, gray and white dappled ceramic walls of the new M9 Museum in Mestre that take up on the brick tones of the surroundings; colorful shimmering façades are one of the trademarks of the office founded in 1989 by Matthias Sauerbruch and Louisa Hutton. They have redefined color as a material of architecture and recognised its potential to create and form space. This is however just one aspect of their multifaceted work, which has now spanned 30 years.
The office, which has been based in Berlin since its first major competition success in 1991, the expansion and renovation of GSW's headquarters, has around 100 employees today working in a wide variety of fields, always striving for innovation. The focus is on the joy of dealing with space and material in a sensual way, the curiosity for technical and spatial innovation and the responsible use of the available resources. At first glance, this results in surprising building forms that, upon closer inspection, reveal an intensive examination of the often urban environment.
One of their most recent projects is the M9 Museum Quarter in Mestre, which helps to open up a previously inaccessible part of the city to the local population through newly created connecting routes. Here, Sauerbruch Hutton showcased their work over the past 30 years in the 2021 exhibition titled "draw, love, build". The work was presented along three narrative threads, weaving together the main themes of their projects: how to deal with the post-industrial city, the concern for optimal sustainability, and the joy of sensual and surprising spaces that enrich the everyday lives of their users.
60 works can now be seen in aut and in keeping with the robust character of the former brewery, are presented on their transport crates. Due to the atmospheric density of the models in different scales and different materialities, the arrangement has the character of an expansive installation that allows different perspectives on the architectural work and can be associated with urban landscapes. Those wishing to delve even deeper into the world of Sauerbruch Hutton will find further information, drawings, photos and films via a specially developed app. The aut: lounge, whose large windows are painted with solar-shading paint, invites visitors to linger. During the day, this softens the sun's rays; at night, the luminous glazing makes the exhibition present in the urban space.
exhibition curators
Peter Apel, Louisa Hutton, Matthias Sauerbruch
team Lucia Alonso, Sabine Hertwig, Claus Marquart, Denise Murray Schlegel, Amelie Schleifenheimer as well as Jörg Albeke and Andrea Breinbauer
transport Art Transit
app development Ivo Wessel
app visual identity Heimann + Schwantes
>> Download App "Open Box" (Mac App Store)
In 1989 Matthias Sauerbruch and Louisa Hutton founded the office in London and moved it in 1991 to Berlin. The office currently consists of a team of about 100 employees, the responsibility for the office is shared by 19 partners and 7 associates.
partners
Andrew Kiel, Bettina Magistretti, David Wegener, Falco Herrmann, Jonas Luther, Juan Lucas Young, Julia Knaak, Jürgen Bartenschlag, Konrad Opitz, Lina Lahiri, Louisa Hutton, Mareike Lamm, Matthias Sauerbruch, Peter Apel, Sabine Hertwig, Sibylle Bornefeld, Steffi Gutschwager, Tom Geister, Vera Hartmann
associates Andrea Frensch, Christian Seidel, Isabelle Hartmann, Jörg Maier, Marc Broquetas, Philipp Hesse, Stefan Fuhlrott
matthias sauerbruch
born 1955 in Constance; studied at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London 1977 - 83; project manager and Partner at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in London 1983 - 89; Unit Master at the AA 1985 - 90; Professor at the TU Berlin and the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart 1995 - 2005; Visiting Professor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (2006), at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (2005 - 09) and at the Berlin University of the Arts (2012 - 14); Founding Member of the German Sustainable Building Council, Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the RIAI (Irish Chamber of Architects)
louisa hutton
born 1957 in Norwich (GB); studied at the University of Bristol and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London 1975 - 85; collaboration with Alison + Peter Smithson in London 1984 - 88; lecturer at the Architectural Association 1989 - 90 and Visiting Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design 2008; member of the first steering committee of the Bundesstiftung Baukultur, honorary member of the American Institute of Architects as well as the RIAI (Irish Chamber of Architects); since 2014 Royal Academician of the Royal Academy of Arts
peter apel
born 1970 in Stuttgart; studied at the Technical University of Berlin 1994 - 2001; employee since 2001 and partner since 2020 at Sauerbruch Hutton; lecturer since 2018 and professor since 2022 at the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Dessau
buildings and projects (selection)
1998 Photonics Centre, Berlin (D); 1999 GSW Headquarters, Berlin (D); 2001 Experimental Factory, Magdeburg (D); 2004 Fire and Police Station, Berlin (D); 2005 Federal Environmental Agency, Dessau (D); 2008 Brandhorst Museum, Munich (D); Jessop West, Sheffield (GB); 2010 Türkentor, Munich (D); Cologne Oval Offices, Cologne (D); KfW Westarkade, Frankfurt (D); Maciachini, Milan (I); 2013 K Haus, Munich (D); Ministry for Urban Development and the Environment, Hamburg (D); Immanuel Church and Community Centre, Cologne (D); 2014 Kinetik, Boulogne-Billancourt (FR); Munich Re, Munich (D); Alea 101, Berlin (D); 2015 Hager Forum, Obernai (FR); Two New Ludgate, London (GB); Ernst & Young Headquarters Luxembourg (LU); 2017 Universal Design Quartier, Hamburg (D); Haus 6, Berlin (D); 2018 M9 Museum, Venice-Mestre (I); 2019 Experimenta, Heilbronn (D); 2020 Stockholm One, Stockholm (S); Berlin Metropolitan School, Berlin (D); 2021 Luisenblock West, Berlin (D); 2022 Médecins Sans Frontières, Geneva (CH); 2023 Franklin Village, Mannheim (D)
awards (selection)
1998 Erich Schelling Architecture Prize; 2003 Fritz Schumacher Prize for Architecture; 2010 Premio de Honor Internacional de Construcción Sostenible de Castilla y León; 2011 Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction (Low2No, Helsinki); 2011 Best Tall Building Worldwide (KfW Westarkade, Frankfurt); 2012 Energy Performance + Architecture Award; 2013 Gottfried Semper Architecture Award; 2015 German Architecture Award and German Timber Construction Award (Immanuelkirche, Cologne); 2017 Wohnbau Preis Hamburg (Woodie, Hamburg); 2020 THE PLAN AWARD (M9 Venice-Mestre); 2021 German Timber Construction Award (Berlin Metropolitan School)
exhibitions (selection)
Solo exhibition 1999 - 2002 "WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)", traveling exhibition, Architectural Association, London; Galerie Aedes, Berlin; Galeria Ras, Barcelona; XII Bienal de Arquitectura, Santiago de Chile; La Galerie d'Architecture, Paris; Arc en rêve, Bordeaux; Forum d'architecture, Lausanne; 2006 "1234 - The architecture of Sauerbruch Hutton", extensive exhibition of works from 15 years of design practice, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich; 2021 - 22 "draw love build", retrospective 30 years of Sauerbruch Hutton, M9 Museum Venice-Mestre.
Participation in numerous exhibitions including 2004 9th International Architecture Exhibition "Eyescape Soundscape", two installations as part of the exhibition "Metamorph" curated by Kurt W. Foster, La Biennale di Venezia, Venice; 2013 "Kultur:Stadt", group exhibition curated by Matthias Sauerbruch, Akademie der Künste Berlin / Kunsthaus Graz; 2014 "How Soon is Now", Galerie Judin, Berlin; 2018 "Oxymoron", 16th International Architecture Exhibition "Freespace", curated by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, La Biennale di Venezia, Venice.
An exhibition in cooperation with M9 - Museo del '900 / Venice-Mestre, Berlinische Galerie / Berlin, Pinakothek der Moderne / Munich and with the kind support of reiter design gmbh
A text by the architecture critic, urban planner and curator Kaye Geipel, published on the occasion of the exhibition "Sauerbruch Hutton: open box" in aut: info 2/23.
read more ...Ein Vortrag von Matthias Sauerbruch und Louisa Hutton im Rahmen ihrer Ausstellung "open box".
read more ...Ein Film von Günter Richard Wett, der einen Einblick in die von Sauerbruch Hutton mit Architekturmodellen aus 30 Jahren gestaltete Installation bietet.
read more ...