Longings

There is no architecture without desire. This simple truth is expressed in the word project: something that is thrown forward, something imagined, something not yet there. Each project aims at a specific state of completeness, a state where all things involved fall into place. We think that precision in every respect is the path to the instinctive realization that something is complete. Our longing for precision has nothing to do with technical virtuosity, nor do we want to lock things in time and thus exclude future development.

Architecture constitutes the physical frame for life, i.e. it plays an important however not the main role in everybody’s life. Good architecture is not intrusive – it gives us space to breath.

We respect/cherish the serving and sustaining character of structure. This frame can perform to a higher or to a lesser degree – contingencies are to be checked, possibilities are to be taken into account and choices are to be made.

We work with varying budgets and we are used to modest ones. Every project reflects (by definition) its economic constraints. The way that will show, depends on the take. We believe that the budget has to become part of the program in order to obtain a high-quality project, i.e. the means have to be used to make ends meet and not to end by stopping short. Sometimes that might even mean to hold back on design and do very little in order to make a difference. Our task is one of maximizing the potential of the given situation.

We work on a wide range of project scales, from the close craft of designing furniture and interiors to the urban and public scale of the city. We believe that design does initially/essentially not know about the differences of scale. Perception, haptic qualities and movement are relative forces in the quest of appropriate solutions.