Wulf Oschwald is returning to blocher partners as Managing Director and Partner - in a role that he already characterised until 2021. With his extensive experience in all service phases, his focus is on quality and efficiency in the later service phases. The architect brings with him more than 16 years of national and international expertise in architecture, project development and sustainability. ‘His return strengthens our strategic focus on holistic planning and future-orientated processes,’ explains CEO Dieter Blocher.
Modern mobility needs more than just parking spaces – it needs orientation.
Under the title “Out of the Stone Age”, our partner Angela Kreutz will speak together with team leader Thorsten-Alexander Karl on Tuesday, April 8, at this year’s expert conference Construction and Operation of Parking Garages and Underground Car Parks. Their talk will explore the evolution of wayfinding systems in modern parking structures.
On March 18, the event “Bauen im Bestand” (Building in Existing Structures) will take place in Munich, where our partner Benjamin will present his lecture »Bringing Visions to Life« In his talk, he will explore how existing building structures can be revitalized through creative concepts and innovative interior architecture.
Drawing on many years of experience in planning and implementing projects in existing buildings, Benjamin Blocher will use concrete examples to illustrate how strong visions can be combined with practical solutions—always with sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and social considerations in mind.
The transformation of the former Galeria Kaufhof in Mannheim is taking shape. On February 13, 2025, our partner Benjamin Blocher will offer an exclusive insight into the redevelopment of the building. In collaboration with Diringer & Scheidel, this pioneering project is redefining urban space: while the lower floors will provide flexible office and retail spaces, the upper levels will feature new urban living spaces built using sustainable timber-hybrid construction.
The tour offers a unique opportunity to learn more about the innovative planning and construction processes. Safety shoes, a helmet, and a high-visibility vest are required.
Under this motto, the 17th German Retail Real Estate Summit will take place in Düsseldorf from February 20-21, 2025.
Erik Schimkat, Managing Director of blocher partners sens, who specializes in design strategy, will moderate the event on 21 February at 10:15 a.m. and, together with industry experts, will explore the question of how retail properties can be designed to be sustainable and resource-efficient. The focus will be on linking sustainability, efficiency and multimodal concepts: how can architecture and urban planning take new, resilient paths to make urban districts and retail locations successful in the long term?
On Wednesday, January 22, 7 p.m., Jörg Becker, creative director of our sister company typenraum, will give a lecture at the event “Inclusive design: design without barriers?” at the Hospitalhof Stuttgart. At the invitation of the aed Stuttgart, he will present the guidance system developed by typenraum for the new Nikolauspflege Stuttgart building.
Jörg will explain the challenges involved in developing a barrier-free guidance system and show how innovation and design can be combined. Participation offers valuable insights into the practice of inclusive design and the opportunity to be inspired.
For more information you can watch the YouTube video.
Tickets can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/2a64vh7h
What will move us in 2025? What has kept us busy over the past twelve months? Answers and questions in our current yearbook. The focus is on a topic that has been with us since the office was founded and has recently become highly topical because it affects all levels of social life: transformation.
In the latest episode of “The Pod”, Benjamin Blocher spoke about the future of sustainability in architecture. He explained how timeless design, innovative use of materials and a keen sense of local traditions are shaping the built environment worldwide.
Real Estate Dialogue in Darmstadt: Ideas for the Downtown of Tomorrow
On December 10, 2024, an engaging Real Estate Dialogue will take place in Darmstadt. A highlight of the event is the panel discussion "Ideas for the Downtown of Tomorrow," moderated by Benjamin Blocher.
The discussion will focus on innovative approaches to revitalizing downtown areas and adapting them to future needs. This dialogue offers an excellent opportunity to gain insights into current developments in urban planning and retail real estate while networking with industry experts.
Join us and take an active role in shaping the future of downtown areas!
On November 5, 2024, our expert in retail architecture, Pascale Hein, will be attending the 15th Munich Retail Property Day. Under the motto "Actively Shaping the Future", she will provide insights into innovative concepts and developments in the field of retail real estate.
We look forward to inspiring conversations and exchanges with industry colleagues about the future of retail. Join us and help shape the retail world of tomorrow!
Our partner Vandana Shah will be speaking on Tuesday, October 15, as part of the “Future-Ready Buildings” panel from 2.30 to 4.30 p.m. at DEVO 2024 in Bucharest. At this high-profile event for the construction and architecture industry, she will present the transdisciplinary approach of our office and illustrate various scales and approaches using selected projects.
We are looking forward to EXPO Real (Link https://exporeal.net/de/) and the exchange with you! Wolfgang Mairinger, Benjamin Blocher, Matthias Both, Anja Pangerl and Pascale Hein as representatives of the management and our Head of Business Development Jens Kron will be available for dialog at stand C1.130.
Der display Superstar Award blickt zurück auf eine 30-jährige Tradition und zählt zu den renommiertesten Preisen im Bereich POS-Marketing. Unser Partner Jürgen Gaiser wird in diesem Jahr die Jury mit seiner Retail-Expertise unterstützen.
The retail world will meet on Thursday, September 26, for the Retail Trend Forum - the hotspot for everyone who is interested in the latest developments and trends in retail.
A special highlight is the expert panel with our Head of PR Angela Kreutz as moderator. She will be discussing the interface between architecture, fashion and lifestyle with:
Wolfgang Krogmann, known for his podcast Der Retailtalker
Moritz Koch, Managing Partner of Henschel, Darmstadt
Henning Riecken, Managing Director of the Breuninger Group, Hamburg
The impressive atmosphere of Massif Central, aptly described as the “melting point and urban interface of the city of Frankfurt”, provides the ideal setting for an inspiring day.
The Rhine-Neckar Regional Dialogue, which takes place every two years, is a highlight in the real estate world. It is organized by Heuer Dialog and takes place on 17 and 18 September in Ludwigshafen. “Perspectives at the border triangle: Seizing opportunities. Shaping the future” is the title of a panel moderated by Matthias Both, Partner at blocher partners. His discussion partners will be Torsten Betz from ENGIE Deutschland and Konstantinos Krikelis from Jones Lang LaSalle on investment markets. The panel will address the following questions: Where are things going well, where are they stagnating? Why are developments on the office markets comparatively positive? Does the retail market segment offer potential for further growth? It will also explore where the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region stands in terms of AI, green mobility, innovation, etc.
An exciting panel discussion led by Pascale Hein, Managing Director of blocher partners sustain, awaits the audience at Heuer Dialog's Real Estate Dialogue Berlin on September 17. Under the title “A city in search of the right balance! Too many offices - too few apartments?”, the industry will meet for the two-day event at the Max Liebermann House, right next to the Brandenburg Gate. Sebastian Blecke from GSG Berlin, Saidah Bojens from Instone Real Estate Development and Tilman Weitz from Collignon Architektur will be taking part in the panel chaired by Pascale. These are the questions: How can the climate pathway be adhered to? Does climate protection also pay off in the short term? How can climate-friendly building materials and the circular economy be promoted? More about the real estate dialog at www.heuer-dialog.de
This year, the industry will once again find out everything that's hot in hotel design at the “Trends in Hotel Design” conference organized by the trade magazine “Hotelbau”. It will take place on September 17 at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Porsche Design Tower in Stuttgart. In-depth discussions are planned in the “Development of Hotel Concepts” section, where our partner Anja Pangerl and Erik Schimkat, Managing Director of blocher partners sens, will moderate the “City Hotels” workshop. More about the conference at www.hotelbau.de
On September 5, the 18th Symposium for the Promotion of Building Culture in Lower Saxony will take place in Hanover. This symposium is being organized by the Lower Saxony Chamber of Architects in collaboration with the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Building and Digitalization. The all-day event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will focus on the topic of “Conversion, repurposing and building in existing buildings”.
A highlight of the symposium is the presentation by Matthias Both, Partner at blocher partners. He will present the “New 7” project in the “Retail and city center” section. This is the successful conversion of the former Galeria Kaufhof in Mannheim city center. The “New 7” project is an outstanding example of how existing buildings can be converted in a sensible and future-oriented way.
We are looking forward to an exciting event and stimulating discussions about the future of building in existing buildings.
BBE Handelsberatung is hosting a breakfast event on September 11 in Munich entitled “Valuation of existing retail properties: E for ESG? ...or E for EGAL?”. Pascale Hein, Managing Director of blocher partners sustain, will kick off the event with her keynote speech on “ESG - What is important when valuing existing retail properties?”. Markus Wotruba, Head of Location and Real Estate Consulting at BBE-Handelsberatung, will follow her with his presentation “The importance of location for ESG”. The event is aimed at professionals from the real estate and financial sectors who want to find out about the latest developments and challenges in the field of ESG criteria for retail real estate.
When and where: September 11 from 8.30 am to 11 am at Haus des Handels, Brienner Straße 45, 80333 Munich.
Registration by September 6. at: https://www.bbe.de/de/aktuelles/termine/bewertung-von-handelsimmobilien-im-bestand/
At the invitation of the South African Council of Shopping Centers, our managing directors, interior designer Jürgen Gaiser (blocher partners) and design strategist Erik Schimkat (blocher partners sens), will speak on the topic of "Collective Individualism - Sustainably Relevant through Participation" during the annual conference from July 30 to August 1 in Cape Town. The focus will be on how co-creation, strategic design and the speed of transformation converge in the dynamic landscape of retail environments. In this context, Gaiser and Schimkat will also present experiential spaces in which individuality merges with collective experience. This creates vibrant spaces and dynamic centers.
Yesterday evening in Stuttgart, the answer was unanimous: "Excellent!"
Nicole Razavi, Baden-Württemberg Minister for Regional Development and Housing, presented the Baden-Württemberg State Prize for Building Culture, the state's highest honour for exemplary planning and building, at the Haus der Wirtschaft. This year's focus: rebuilding and thinking ahead - exemplary and transferable solutions for planning and construction challenges. The Minister, who is also a member of the jury, emphasised that it is a social obligation to continue a building culture that is both good and economical. Reiner Nagel, Chairman of the Board of the Federal Foundation of Baukultur, emphasised that it was not easy for the panel to make a judgement. Nevertheless, in the end there was always agreement on the top three winners. A total of 235 projects in nine categories had to be assessed. Cultivated building is the ability to build well, taking all factors into account - with respect for the environment, durable and beautiful. We are proud to have been recognised for the Hotel EmiLu
Pascale Hein will be giving a presentation in the XAL showroom on June 20 at 2 pm. As part of the Austrian lighting manufacturer's roadshow stop in Stuttgart, the Managing Director of blocher partners sustain will give a keynote speech on the topic of sustainability in educational buildings and why the DGNB system is leading the way.
On May 16 at 7 p.m., an expert discussion on the future of building and living will take place in front of the Dreigiebelhaus on Besigheim's market square. The evening will be hosted by Daniel Christen. The citizens' initiative Klimaplan emphasizes the importance of residential areas that enable people to live comfortably and age with dignity. Future-oriented IBA Stuttgart projects deal with sustainable building materials that are to be reused in the circular economy. In case of bad weather, the event will be moved to the vaulted cellar under the Dreigiebelhaus.
On behalf of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg (ifeu) and the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects are hosting the symposium »Circular Economy in Building Construction – Building and Designing Together in a Circular Way« in Stuttgart on 16 April. As part of the afternoon dialogue round, Pascale Hein, Managing Director of blocher partners sustain, will reflect with other planners, clients and players from the construction industry on how the many good approaches and solutions can be transferred more quickly and comprehensively into construction practice.
On behalf of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg (ifeu) and the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects are hosting the symposium »Circular Economy in Building Construction – Building and Designing Together in a Circular Way« in Stuttgart on 16 April. As part of the afternoon dialogue round, Pascale Hein, Managing Director of blocher partners sustain, will reflect with other planners, clients and players from the construction industry on how the many good approaches and solutions can be transferred more quickly and comprehensively into construction practice.
The German Shopfitting Association has published the STORE BOOK 2024. The book is the eleventh in a series of yearbooks that have been published since 2014. The book presents 61 innovative projects, including our Bucherer Fine Jewellery Boutique in Frankfurt.
Two of our projects have earned their place in the top 50 of »The most beautiful restaurants, hotels and bars 2024« – the Design Hotel EmiLu in Stuttgart and the Bollicine Champagne Bar in Outletcity Metzingen. Every year, the renowned Callwey publishing house brings together outstanding hospitality concepts in this publication about excellent hospitality design.
With the building sector being one of the main emitters of greenhouse gases, the increasingly urgent call for a turnaround in construction is becoming an indispensable precursor to the future. The compendium published by Deutscher Architektur Verlag provides an overview of sustainable architecture based on 40 projects from different typologies. These examples present different approaches – from building in existing structures to modern timber and straw construction and building botany. They provide vivid insights into the architecture and urban planning of tomorrow and food for thought on the way to a sustainable society and building culture. We are pleased to make our contribution to the situation and the publication with our project Living quarter Hermann-Dorner-Allee Berlin.
Save the Date: From 12 - 15 March, the leading players in the international property market will meet in Cannes at MIPIM, the world's leading trade fair for the real estate industry. Together with the state capital Stuttgart, blocher partners will be there to present Stuttgart as a property location. Our partners Wolfgang Mairinger, Matthias Both and Benjamin Blocher are looking forward to an inspiring exchange with you.
Visit us at the Palais des Festivals, stand P4.C10.
ESG has become a perennial topic in the property sector. The 16th German Retail Property Summit will dedicate two days to new aspects and forward-looking retail and property concepts in top-class panels. On 29 February, moderated by Pascale Hein, Managing Director of blocher partners sustain, the panel »ESG – the unvarnished truth« will discuss what ESG means for tenants in practice.
Our Bucherer Flagship Boutique in Berlin was awarded the prestigious INHORGENTA AWARD, the most important award in the jewellery and watch industry. The store design and retail concept convinced the high-calibre jury of international experts in the »Next Generation Retail« category. Since 2017, the award has been an integral part of INHORGENTA, Europe's leading platform for jewellery, watches and gemstones, and is now regarded as a seal of quality. We are delighted to have received this honour.
The online event organised by the BUILTWORLD event platform is dedicated to the topic of inner-city transformation and new urbanity in Mannheim. The project New7, the former Galeria Kaufhof building, which blocher partners is transforming into a sustainable mixed-use project together with Diringer & Scheidel as project developer, client and general contractor, serves as an example of the adaptation of urban spaces to the changing needs of the population.
Register here for the free event.
We are delighted that our project Designhotel EmiLu Stuttgart has been nominated as one of three projects in the »Commercial / Industrial Building« category for the »State Prize for Building Culture Baden-Württemberg 2024«, which this year addresses a very relevant issue with the theme of »Conversion Culture«. The State Prize for Building Culture recognizes and publicizes particularly innovative, exemplary and transferable solutions for the planning and construction challenges in Baden-Württemberg. A jury of renowned experts nominated 27 projects in nine categories from a total of 235 submissions.
The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) only awards the DGNB Diamond to projects that fulfil the highest standards in terms of sustainability, energy efficiency and ecological compatibility. Our Stuttgart headquarters was able to convince the independent commission for design quality in all criteria.
Intergastra in Stuttgart, the leading trade fair for the hotel and catering industry, opens its doors again this weekend. Vandana Shah, Partner at blocher partners, and Pascale Hein, Head of blocher partners sustain, will be speaking on Tuesday 6 February at the Green Stage in Hall 4 in the forum »Intelligent circular economy in the hotel & catering industry«, using the example of the EmiLu design hotel to report on sustainable planning and successful transformation.
At the online event of BUILTWORLD, the leading event platform for the building life cycle in German-speaking countries, Helge Kunz, Head of Timber Construction, and Angela Kreutz, Partner and Head of Corporate Communication, will present our project Student housing Mannheim on 25 January, which is characterised by its modular timber construction. In addition to the project presentation, the event will focus on the market for modular timber construction.
Sustainable construction is at the heart of blocher partners' corporate philosophy. We have launched blocher partners sustain in order to do justice to this claim in detail and to further expand the expertise of the transdisciplinary planning office.
Under the motto »Learning to learn« our Yearbook 2023 explores the methodology of Artificial Intelligence, which continuously learns with each inputted piece of information. In addition to providing an overview of our current projects, various contributions explore this theme, offering a glimpse into the future. What will move us the day after tomorrow?
Under the motto: »Strong together! For a sustainably successful future«, this year's German Meat Congress will take place in Mainz, organized by dfv Mediengruppe. Our partner and retail expert Jürgen Gaiser will be part of the panel discussion on the topic: »Successful selling: What matters today and in the future?«.
This year's Handelsblatt Change Congress will be held in Düsseldorf under the motto »Shifted Reality: Everything remains different«. The event creates understanding for visions, strategies and new trends for successful change projects. Erik Schimkat, Managing Director blocher partners sens, and Jürgen Gaiser, Partner blocher partners, will enrich the exciting program and the theme world »Future Workforce: Teams and Technology« with an in-depth workshop on »Collective Individualism - Team-Driven Transformation in Complex Times«.
At the Smart City Conference in Frankfurt, curated by the dfv Mediengruppe and renowned experts, everything revolves around strategies for the city of tomorrow. In the panel talk "For a strong city center! How do we save the city?" our partner Benjamin Blocher, architect and urban planner, will join the discussion.
Every year, the renowned Callwey publishing house honors the best architecture in the area of multi-story residential construction with its "Residential Buildings of the Year" competition. From the 50 most beautiful residential buildings in the entire German-speaking region selected by a jury of experts, our project Living Quarter Hermann-Dorner-Allee Berlin was awarded a prize in the category "Neighborhood Development". Together with the client HOWOGE, general contractor Diringer & Scheidel and our responsible architects Vandana Shah and Dieter Blocher, we are very pleased about the award and the publication in the associated yearbook.
The display Superstar Award looks back on a 30-year tradition and is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of POS marketing. This year, our partner Jürgen Gaiser will support the jury with his retail expertise.
The state board of the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects has appointed our partner Vandana Shah to the AKBW's Housing Competence Team, which has 32 members and is dedicated to the main topic of "Housing, Neighborhoods, Services of General Interest" and the tasks set by the state board: the development of a position paper on the immediate program for housing subsidies and affordable housing, as well as housing in the neighborhood, which is to move more strongly into the public consciousness with a view to the local elections in 2024.
Also in 2023 blocher partners will be present at the real estate fair and conference in Munich | EXPO REAL. Wolfgang Mairinger, Anja Pangerl, Matthias Both and Benjamin Blocher as representatives of the management as well as Annette Willige, Head of Business Development, will be available for an exchange at the stand of the Rhine-Neckar metro region (C1. 130) from Wednesday, October 4 to Friday, October 6. Further information under: 0711-22482-0 or info@blocherpartners.com
»No longer just designing for a target group, but designing with them.« That's how Erik Schimkat, Managing Partner of blocher partners sens, sums up his co-creative work with users. In an interview with TextilWirtschaft editor Charlotte Schnitzspahn, he reveals how to find out what clients really want.
The credo of this year's forum: "Give the customer a reason to come, give him a reason to stay and a reason to talk about it!" In addition to the digital aspects, the focus of the event is on fascinating worlds of experience and the trends in retail, architecture and shopfitting. Our partner and Head of Corporate Communication, Angela Kreutz, will be part of the event and will focus on the topic of Fashion & Lifestyle in her Deep Dive Session on the second day of the event.
At the specialist conference of the Management Forum Starnberg on September 26 and 27 in Vienna, everything will revolve around the construction and operation of commercial kitchens and modern company catering. In his contribution on the second day of the conference at 12 noon, our partner Jürgen Gaiser will provide insights into how we create places for employees to come together, how company catering becomes a corporate ambassador, creates an emotional bond with the company and how we succeed in defining space and content for generations Z and alpha.
On September 26, the Munich Real Estate Congress will focus on current trends in the industry. Our partner Benjamin Blocher will join the discussion on the podium starting at 1 pm.
The Construction World Architect and Builder (CWAB) Awards, instituted in 2006, are India's most coveted awards for the architecture and building industry. The awards recognise the people and organisations responsible for the changing landscape of the country – the Top Architects and Builders of India. Together with blocher partners india we are pleased and proud to be awarded »India's Top Architect – West«.
From a total of 94 eligible submissions in the award process "Exemplary Building Stuttgart" of the Chamber of Architects of Baden-Württemberg, the jury chose 24 objects, which they awarded as all-round successful solutions. We are very pleased about the award for our project Designhotel EmiLu Stuttgart. The jury based its decision on criteria such as external design, dimensions and proportions of the building, internal space, allocation of rooms and practicality, appropriateness of means and materials, constructive honesty, sustainability, integration and interaction with the urban context and the environment.
Together with our contractor, Neufeld Immobilien GmbH from Oedheim, Benjamin Blocher presented our vision for the aging Wollhaus to the Heilbronn City Council on Tuesday. The aim of the urban master plan is to strengthen the present qualities of the existing building as well as to expand it in a viable way, so that the Wollhaus becomes an attractor in the future. The prominent location holds great potential for urban redevelopment of the surrounding public areas. The concept also convinced the city representatives. Heilbronner Stimme and SWR Aktuell report.
"We have to roll up our sleeves again": So says Benjamin Blocher from the architecture firm blocher partners, who is a guest at Immobileros with his colleague Angela Kreutz, responsible for strategic corporate communications and head of the communications agency that belongs to the firm. 🎧 You can access the #Podcast here: https://lnkd.in/eEPsUuYB
On July 11, our partner Matthias Both will moderate the panel "My office is the whole city" at the 15th Real Estate Dialog Region Stuttgart in the Liederhalle Culture and Congress Center starting at 12 p.m. and will address the question of what the new diversity of corporate and work culture looks like with his discussion partners. The Real Estate Dialog is one of the largest meetings among real estate experts and the public sector. For 15 years, the event has stood for exchange between business, politics and the public sector.
On July 4, representatives of the real estate industry will discuss the future and challenges of the real estate market in the Swabian metropolis together with decision-makers from politics and business at the Stuttgart Real Estate Congress in the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Our partner Benjamin Blocher will be part of the panel discussion on "Urban Development & Sustainability" starting at 11 am.
On Thursday, June 22, the Dachmarkenforum will be our guest in Stuttgart with Part 3 of the trilogy on the topic of »Emotional Branding«. Together we will get to the bottom of the question of how retail can continue to flourish in the future – whether analog or digital. We are looking forward to exciting presentations by experts from the retail and consulting industry as well as inspiring discussions. Would you like to report on the event as a press representative? Then please contact us, we will be happy to organize your participation: presse@blocherpartners.com
On Tuesday, June 13, the second day of this year's Modular Construction Congress in Dortmund, Benjamin Blocher will present current residential construction projects by blocher partners and explain which solutions modular construction offers for current issues such as housing shortage, shortage of skilled workers and climate crisis.
On Tuesday, June 6, at this year's Hotel Real Estate Congress in Frankfurt am Main, the industry event for the hotel and hotel real estate industry, our partner, architect and interior designer Anja Pangerl will reveal what makes hotel concepts successful and how to create feel-good places where people feel at home, based on our project Designhotel EmiLu in Stuttgart.
At the Real Estate Congress Rhine-Neckar, representatives from politics and the real estate industry discuss current developments and perspectives for the respective asset classes. Our partner Matthias Both will be part of the panel "Residential and Office". Starting at 11 a.m., everything will revolve around the question of how residential and office assets can contribute to the quality of life.
"Manage to Green: From Heat Pump to Real Sales" is the title of a panel discussion at the Retail Symposium in Vienna, in which Benjamin Blocher will participate. Motto of the event this year: Follow the Beat!
From April 17 to 22, BAU, the World's Leading Trade Fair for Architecture, Materials and Systems, will take place at Messe München. With its own special show, the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) will be addressing the question of how we need to build today so that it is still sustainable in 2030. We are pleased to be part of the exciting conference program as a partner of the DGNB. Benjamin Blocher will be a guest at the networking event on Monday, April 17, and Jürgen Gaiser will be a guest on Wednesday, April 19, both at 5 pm. Where? At the DGNB booth designed by us in hall C2 booth 518.
Together with the Ministry of State Development and Housing, the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects awarded 44 exemplary projects for good building culture in the districts of Main-Tauber-Kreis, Hohenlohekreis and Landkreis Schwäbisch Hall. Our project Fassfabrik Schwäbisch Hall was able to convince the jury and is a successful example of how a brownfield site relevant to industrial history can be reactivated, architectural heritage preserved and revitalized with new content.
The Dachmarkenforum is an interdisciplinary communication platform for fashion, lifestyle, retail and industry. The event on March 23 in Dornbirn, Austria, will explore the question of what the framework conditions are for retail to continue to flourish in the future. Erik Schimkat, Managing Director of blocher partners sens, will provide an answer to this question with his presentation: "Collective Individualism: Sustainably Relevant through Participation".
Save the Date: From March 14 – 17, the leading players of the international real estate market will meet in Cannes at MIPIM, the world's leading trade fair for the real estate industry. Together with the state capital Stuttgart, blocher partners will be on site and present Stuttgart as a real estate location. Our partners Wolfgang Mairinger, Matthias Both, Benjamin Blocher and our Head of Business Development, Annette Willige, are looking forward to an inspiring exchange with you.
Visit us at the Palais des Festivals, booth P4.C20 – City of Stuttgart.
For appointment requests, please contact us via supply@blocherpartners.com
Kathrin Cook, Team Leader Interior Design, and Jörg Becker, Creative Director of our communications agency typenraum, will be giving a joint presentation at INHORGENTA in Munich. On Saturday, February 25, 4 p.m., the topic will be "Customer-oriented design strategy for exclusive experiences." While Jörg will deal with visual brand communication and corporate language, Kathrin will provide insights into the creative translation into store design. INHORGENTA, Europe's leading platform for jewelry, watches and gemstones, will take place from February 24 to February 27.
Make your plans now: Interesting conversations and get-togethers await you at our booth at EuroShop. From Sunday, February 26, to Thursday, March 2, we look forward to sharing ideas with you. Together with our partner MuSe Content, the full-service agency in the field of in-store multimedia, we will take you on a journey into the digital world and show you new trends. So block your calendar now for our exciting presentations.
»In the green range«, a statement that has become wishful thinking this year at the latest in view of the many crises and events - nevertheless, we have titled our 2022 yearbook "The Green Book". Especially in these times, there is a need to raise awareness about the situation we find ourselves in and look ahead. In addition to a cross-section of current projects from all areas of our transdisciplinary work, the leitmotif of sustainability resonates in various essays and interviews.
Our transformation project Fassfabrik Schwäbisch Hall was awarded by the Baukultur-Initiative Hohenlohe-Tauberfranken. This is awarded by the Ministry of State Development and Housing Baden-Württemberg and the Chamber of Architects Baden-Württemberg and is intended to make regional building culture visible. According to the jury's decision, the project clearly shows the potential that can be found in industrial architecture if there is a willingness to preserve it.
The event »Purpose User and Life Cycle Assessment - Shaping today for tomorrow« on November 16 in Heidelberg focuses on architecture, urban planning and building of the future in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. For blocher partners, Matthias Both will be on site and share his expertise in a panel discussion on the topics of transformation and user expectations regarding sustainable sites.
Another milestone for the Heiners urban development project in Neu-Ulm: The groundbreaking ceremony for the project, which just received a polis award, took place in the presence of Ministerialrätin Petra Kramer from the Bavarian State Ministry of Housing, Construction and Transport, Mayor Katrin Albsteiger and Berthold Stier, Managing Director of the Neu-Ulm Development Company. For blocher partners, Senior Partner Wolfgang Mairinger was on site for the ceremony. Learn more about the multifaceted, mixed-use building.
The Will No 16 project in Munich received an award in the »Residential Buildings of the Year« competition. A jury of experts selected the new construction of five urban villas among the best projects in the »Premium Living« category. The prize is awarded by the Callwey publishing house since 2019. The 50 best projects in 12 categories are additionally issued in book form.
At the Jewelers' Congress in Pforzheim from October 9 to 11, everything will revolve around the world of beautiful jewelry and luxurious watches. Numerous lectures, interviews and discussions will shed light on various facets of the industry. As an office also active in the Luxury Retail Design segment, we are looking forward to being present at the Jewelers' Congress. Our interior designer Kathrin Cook, who is responsible for this segment, will additionally contribute her many years of expertise to a panel discussion on "Shopfitting of the Future" on October 10.
The Trendforum Retail on September 28 and 29 in Frankfurt am Main is a top-class meeting of the retail scene and offers diverse insights and best practices. Erik Schimkat, Managing Director of blocher partners sens will also be on hand to talk about the benefits of transdisciplinary processes and the three ways retailers can remain relevant in the future in his presentation on September 29.
In the PANDION AG competition for a six-story residential building on Bahnhofstraße in Berlin-Köpenick, the design by blocher partners unanimously prevailed and was awarded 1st place by the jury.
In the Trendforum Retail podcast with Daniel Schnödt, Erik Schimkat, managing director of blocher partners sens, talked about the benefits of co-creative processes, why the future of retail lies in the pace and acceptance of change processes, and many other topics that are currently driving retail. Click here to listen to the podcast.
At the EHI Retail Design Days on September 13 and 14 in Cologne, the entire spectrum of retail will be examined. Benjamin Blocher, Partner, will take a look at the topic from an architectural perspective in his lecture "Transformation of the City Center" and show what modern urban development can look like in concrete ways.
This year's Handelsblatt Annual Conference on August 30 and 31 in Düsseldorf will focus on the new framework conditions for people, space, IT & culture. A question that also concerns us. Partner Jürgen Gaiser and Erik Schimkat, management blocher partners sens, will take a stand on the drastic change of our (office) working world in their dialog under the motto »Transdisciplinary into Transformation«. They will provide answers to the changing employee and employer needs and the new framework conditions. How companies can deal with these disruptive changes, which strategy and which design concept fits - there are already interesting projects at blocher partners on which Gaiser and Schimkat will exchange views.
Jutta Blocher, managing director and founder of blocher partners, was a guest at TextilWirtschaft. The conversation with TW editor Judith Kessler resulted in an exciting podcast about sustainability in shopfitting and the right mix in retail.
In the competition by invitation for the new development of the G6 in Mannheim, our architecture draft was able to convince the jury and was awarded 1st prize. For GBG Mannheimer Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH, blocher partners will now realise a new quarter with 49 flats and a day-care centre in an inner-city context.
Our entry was able to prevail against 9 other entries, with the jury praising in particular the careful consideration of the qualities of the site as well as the opportunities the architecture offers for an attractive community-oriented neighbourhood.
At the presentation of the German Natural Stone Award 2022 at the stone+tec trade fair in Nuremberg, the EmiLu design hotel was honored in the "Building in Existing Contexts" category. Awarded was a special recognition for the exemplary design and technically constructive application of natural stone. "This example of a successful conversion of a building from the 1960s convinced the jury. [...] An exemplary implementation of a building task, which we will hopefully see more often in the future in the sense of a resource-saving handling of existing buildings."
The extension of the Bründl flagship store in Kaprun, planned by blocher partners, was certified platinum by the Austrian Society for Sustainable Real Estate (ÖGNI) in the areas of interior design and restaurant based on the DGNB criteria. This is the first such award for interiors in Austria. For the assessment, sustainability is considered on the basis of ecological, economic, socio-cultural and functional factors. Technology, processes and location also play a role. Since a particularly high number of points was achieved in the area of social criteria, the ÖGNI Crystal Award was also issued.
blocher partners is participating in several events at the annual Day of Architecture:
In Berlin our office near Checkpoint Charlie will open its doors on Saturday, June 25 from 2 pm. We offer a look behind the scenes and show current projects. In addition, there will be keynote speeches on the topics »Architecture and interior design from a single source« and »Building with renewable raw materials - wood hybrids«.
The blocher partners family is growing: the new General Planning GmbH launches in May. With the new company, we are responding to changes in the market that already have led to the firm handling an increasing number of projects as general planners.
Recognizing the need to strengthen its comprehensive and integrated support of clients across all architectural and engineering services and all service phases, blocher partners decided to professionalize the division as a separate company.
We are pleased about the success at this year's polis Award, which was awarded yesterday at the polis convention in Düsseldorf! The jury of experts awarded the new building planned for the city of Neu-Ulm at Heiner-Metzger-Platz 2nd place in the category »Reactivated Centers«.
Viessmann's staff restaurant in Allendorf (Eder) was honored by the jury of the award »The Most Beautiful Restaurants & Bars« and is part of the book publication of the same name by Callwey Verlag.
At the polis Award 2022, the planned new building at Heiner-Metzger-Platz in Neu-Ulm was nominated by the expert jury in the category "Reactivated Centers". We are delighted about the recognition and are looking forward to April 27, when the winners of each category will be announced at the polis Convention in Düsseldorf.
The design hotel EmiLu in the heart of Stuttgart was nominated for the Natural Stone Award 2022 in the category "Building in Existing Structures" by the expert jury of the German Natural Stone Association. We are delighted about this award for our work and are looking forward to June 22, when the winners will be announced at the Stone+tec trade fair in Nuremberg.
We are pleased about the award at Best Workspaces 2022 for the workspace of the office furnisher Leonhard! The competition for intelligent workspaces has been held since 2020 and brings together the best concepts in book form for the first time in 2022.
The Store Book, published annually since 2014 by the German Shopfitting Association (dLv), is a best-of of international store design. This year's edition shows 60 projects from all over the world. Among them are three projects by blocher partners: Bründl's extended flagship store in Kaprun, Fashion house Feucht and Sportler in Innsbruck.
»Value and Purpose« are the two words we have used to headline our 2021 Yearbook. Viewed on a meta level, they stand for the fundamental question of the »value and purpose« of our actions, but also very specifically for what shaped our year 2021: the joint development of a culture of values that takes into account the upcoming generation change within our company and forms the basis for future collaboration far beyond that. While the feature section with its discourse stimuli, self-reflections and essays is more of a theoretical nature, the second part shows the transfer into practice through the presentation of the projects.
For the world market leader in the field of machines for the woodworking industry, based in Schopfloch in the Black Forest, blocher partners planned a new campus at the company headquarters as part of a design competition: A head office with 16,500 square meters and 550 workplaces, an employee restaurant and a customer center will redesign the factory premises. Our design in timber construction convinced the jury and was awarded 1st prize.
Our process "#WeForUs — Sustainable Strategy Development" made it to 1st place in the category "Employee Engagement" at the HR Excellence Awards 2021. We are very happy and proud of this great recognition of our work! We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank noesis for the professional guidance on our journey.
We are delighted about the nomination of the recently opened extension of the Bründl flagship store in Kaprun for the EuroShop RetailDesign Award 2022! The award has been presented annually since 2008 and honors outstanding retail concepts worldwide. The winners will be announced on February 15 at the EuroCIS trade fair.
We are pleased to welcome architect Helge Kunz as a new division manager in our office. Kunz looks back on a long career and expertise in timber construction: After working as a design architect and department head in competition, among others at Baumschlager Eberle and Santiago Calatrava, various activities abroad as well as his almost a decade-long activity at Renggli Holzbau Weise in a leading position, he held the position of managing director there for the last three years.
The climate-friendly and differentiated residential quarter on Hermann Dorner Allee is nearing completion. Now another milestone could be celebrated with the topping-out ceremony.
Our workspace for Leonhard in Filderstadt was nominated for the Best Workspaces 2022 award and voted into the top 50. The award, created by the Callwey publishing house in cooperation with the architecture magazine Baumeister, baunetz interior|design, office roxx and office dealzz, honors outstanding workspaces and office buildings. We are delighted about the nomination by the jury and are looking forward to March 2022, when the winners of the competition will be announced.
At the Quartier annual congress organized by Heuer Dialog, which will take place in Bielefeld on September 16 and 17, Matthias Both will speak on Thursday afternoon about how revitalization and redensification can create sustainable urban neighborhoods and which projects by blocher partners are exemplary in this context.
We are looking forward to the opening of the EmiLu design hotel on 1 September 2021. At a press conference this Monday, some journalists were able to take a first look at the family-run hotel in the heart of Stuttgart. In addition to the owners and operators of the hotel, the Bräutigam family, our partner and hotel expert Anja Pangerl also answered the journalists' questions.
An interview with Benjamin and Dieter Blocher on the subject of urban development appeared in the digital edition of the Stuttgarter Zeitung this weekend (StZPLUS). In the interview, the two architects talk about the Stuttgart of the future, the housing shortage including the forgotten solution of the candidates for mayor, the Stuttgart 21 rail project as an opportunity of the century – and the parent-son construct in the management. blocher partners is responsible for several major projects in the city and in Baden-Württemberg – in the interview they are presented in a picture gallery.
The extension of the Bründl flagship store in Kaprun, which is currently under construction, was pre-certified by the Austrian Society for Sustainable Real Estate (ÖGNI) with platinum in the areas of interior design and restaurant based on the DGNB-criteria. For the assessment, sustainability is considered on the basis of ecological, economic, socio-cultural and functional factors. Technology, processes and location also play a role.
An expansion in two senses: the architect and urban planner Benjamin Blocher will not only complement the management in the future, but also the expertise. With a focus on sustainability and innovation, he is particularly dedicated to the transformation of cities.
blocher partners was successful in a competition to fill a gap in a building in Mannheim's city centre, taking into account listed buildings: the design for student housing was unanimously chosen as the winner.
The sixth edition of Retail Design International has been published. The reference book presents over 40 concepts that are driving change in the retail sector.
blocher partners is represented with several projects: In addition to Breuninger in Nuremberg, Bucherer in Hamburg and Braun Hamburg can also be found in the book. Also part of Retail Design International is a guest article by Jutta Blocher on the planning and working concept of Design Strategy practised at blocher partners.
The 17th installment of Stuttgart meets Mumbai will take place digitally for the first time. From 22 to 28 February 2021, the audience will be offered an intercultural festival with a virtual exhibition, interactive webinars and culinary delights. The event, which includes the Stuttgart Wine Festival, has played an important role in promoting Indo-German relations over the past 17 years with visitors from politics, business and culture.
Due to our branch in Ahmedabad, India, we have maintained close ties with Indian culture for many years and have been represented with our own stand at the Stuttgart Wine Festival for several years.
In the competition for the redevelopment of the former LEW site in Neu-Ulm's city centre at Heiner-Metzger-Platz, the design by blocher partners was unanimously chosen as the winner by the jury of experts. The architects' design envisages a six-storey building with around 13,500 square metres of usable space. In addition to the municipal library and a generational meeting place, there will be residential units, office space, gastronomy and an underground car park.
How could workplaces and office concepts of the future look like? What design choices characterise a modern working environment? The publication by Frame Publishers sheds light on these questions and offers a reference work on the contemporary design of workspaces. Also included is the project house developed by blocher partners for the AOK Baden-Württemberg.
From 23 January to 20 June, the exhibition «Einfach Grün - Greening the city» at Deutsches Architekturmuseum in Frankfurt/Main explores the question of how green buildings in cities can provide a better local climate. The exhibition also includes the Marvel Artiza building in Hubli, India, designed by blocher partners.
In 2020, many things have turned out differently than we had imagined, many things we could never have imagined or wanted to imagine. The world seems to be upside down, and with it the longing for orientation and participation, for transparent and comprehensible decisions, is growing. In terms of content and form, this yearbook, which for us is not always just a retrospective, but also a perspective, is marked by the changes that the year brought, the changes in perspective that occurred, the reflections that were stimulated.
The office and living space in Krefeld was certified with gold by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). The certification system evaluates the overall performance of a building in several categories like environmental quality, economic quality, sociocultural quality, technical quality, process quality and location quality. More facts about the building by blocher partners.
At the competition “new construction community centre (town hall with museum)” in the North Rhine-Westphalian city of Olpe, the design by blocher partners received recognition as well as the first prize for the ideas section, which was developed together with Gänssle + Hehr landscape architects. Designed in a wood-hybrid design, the new building takes up the conditions of the surroundings, creates a high point along the Bigge River and, together with the area from the idea part, a new city square for the city society.
Rottweil's municipal council ratified the result of the architectural competition on "Spitalhöhe Rottweil", which was won by blocher partners. The new construction of this living quarter will provide around 35 apartments constructed in innovative hybrid design.
The business center Mondeal Heights in Ahmedabad – planned by blocher partners – was sucessful at the Rethinking The Future Awards 2020 in the category"Commercial (Built)". Further information on the project Mondeal Heights.
blocher partners has won the first prize in the architecture competition " Quartier am Wiener Platz Baufeld Süd Los 1". For the future area on Wiener Platz, the architects are developing the largest of the three emerging houses with 62 apartments and an underground car park for the entire area. The apartments with a size of one to five rooms are efficiently planned over five upper floors, on the ground floor, an including catering, a day care as well as a commercial space, round off the diverse range of the district.
blocher partners has won the first prize in the competition "Modernes Wohnen in gewachsenem Wohngebiet in Stuttgart-Degerloch". Surrounded by partly old, rural building fabric, 22 residential units with individual apartments are created in "Alt-Degerloch", which combine what distinguishes Degerloch: the rural meets the urban. The building structure is flexible in order to be able to react to changes in demand. The focus is on compact living units, which offer the possibility of arranging many rooms and at the same time achieving high quality if they are used openly.
The Mondeal Heights project in Ahmedabad, India, realized by blocher partners, was named "Commercial Project of 2019" at the Trends Excellence Awards in Mumbai. More information on Mondeal Heights Ahmedabad
blocher partners' fair booth at EuroShop 2020 has been awarded with the 1st prize at Exhibitor Magazine's EuroShop Awards in the category XS and succeded against nine competitors in the final round.
The BOSS-Outlet in Metzingen has been awarded the DGNB-platinum certification – the highest certification by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).
The certification system evaluates the overall performance of a building in several categories like environmental quality, economic quality, sociocultural quality, technical quality, process quality and location quality. More facts about BOSS-Outlet.
"Favo – the light net" scored at German Design Award 2020. The innovative luminaire was developed by the product designers at blocher partners together with Sattler GmbH. Partner Angela Kreutz and product designer Alexander Rybol attended the award ceremony for blocher partners.
The new Rieger Group flagship store in Heilbronn scores with a combination of CO2-neutral architecture, top design quality, gastronomy and a wide range of products that makes for a holistic shopping experience. The jury at the "Stores of the Year" awarded the first prize to the furniture store in the Home/Living category.
Foto: f.l.t.r: Andrea Kurtz (Presentation), Stefan Dechering (Hermann Dechering), Benno Rieger (Möbel Rieger), Anja Pangerl, Angela Kreutz, Matthias Both, Stefan Genth (CEO HDE)
Photography: Jörn Wolter
On January 27 in 2020 we celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for the HOWOGE housing association's largest new building project, which blocher partners together with the Diringer & Scheidel Bauunternehmung GmbH & Co. KG implemented as general contractor.
Light forms an elementary part of any staged setting. The PICK luminaire combines innovation and variability with a high-end design. The efficient interaction of the components translates into compact dimensions and a broad variety of uses, be it in retail, work or hotel environments.
The jury of the renowned Good Design Awards was convinced by the flexible luminaire. PICK was developed by the product designers at blocher partners together with RD Leuchten.
EuroShop is the leading fair in the retail branch and takes place in Düsseldorf from February 16th until February 20th. blocher partners is amongst the exhibitors. You can meet us at hall 12 / A17-18
Ist Genuss die neue DNA? Was sind die Trends der Gastronomie und wie beeinflussen sie Gestaltung und Branding im Handel? Über 180 Teilnehmer diskutierten auf der EHI Retail Design Konferenz am 17. und 18. September in Köln darüber, wie sich der stationäre Einzelhandel mit starken Konzepten und einer guten Story behaupten kann. Für blocher partners waren Angela Kreutz und Jürgen Gaiser dabei und sprachen über Do‘s and Don‘ts, Herausforderungen und Chancen in der Branche.
Das von blocher partners geplante Wohnturmensemble Skydeck Select in Ahmedabad erhielt beim Realty+ Excellence Award in Indien eine Auszeichnung für Architectural Design of the year. Auf der Preisverleihung nahm Hartmut Wurster, Head of blocher partners india, den Preis entgegen.
How do the changes in the retail sector affect our cities? To discuss this question, a dialogue among experts took place at the Immobiliendialog Rhein-Neckar. For blocher partners, Senior Partner Wolfgang Mairinger took part in the discussion.
Matthias Both, Partner bei blocher partners, wurde in den Beirat der Akademie der Immobilienwirtschaft in Stuttgart berufen. Die Akademie verleiht in Kooperation mit der Dualen Hochschule Baden-Württemberg den Abschluss Diplom-Immobilienökonom/in (ADI).
