The tallest tower in the ‘FOUR’ area has reached its height of 233 meters, and the topping-out ceremony at the largest construction site in Frankfurt was celebrated today. We are happy to be involved in this mammoth project and congratulate the responsible project developer, Groß & Partner, the architects from UNStudio, our planning partner from Werner Sobek Frankfurt, and all involved partners on this milestone.
In October, the first tenants will move into the smallest tower. The completion of the global quarter is scheduled for 2025.
Two years ago, the seemingly floating roof on a computer-generated endless column for a fast-charging station was completed in Leipzig. The roof was created based on the design by ‘Raumwerk Gesellschaft für Architektur und Stadtplanung’ and B+G. Now, we have also published a detailed article together about our project in ‘Stahlbau’ (Ernst & Sohn, Berlin).
PDF for Download ↓
More about Fast-Charging Station Leipzig →
‘Memories of Memories’ is a temporary photo installation in Innsbruck about the power of collective and individual memories. The piece focuses on the history of the Oradour camp in Schwaz, spanning from times of war and national socialist ruling until today. The structure comprises rebar and 3D-printed connections, designed and realised by the Institute of Design, i.sd - Construction and Design of the University of Innsbruck, with our structural engineering support.
The Tyrolean Provincial Museums realised this cooperative project with numerous Schwaz cultural institutions, the Tyrolean Provincial Theater and the Klocker Museum Hall in Innsbruck.
The installation can be seen in front of the Ferdinandeum until 5 November 2023.
The article in the latest issue of Bauwelt (16.2023) reports on the challenges and special features within the planning and construction of the fire and rescue station in Wiesbaden-Igstadt.
read more
Yesterday, on 23.08.2023, the ‘Netzwerk Junge Ingenieure’ came together on the topic of ‘The Sustainable Transformation of Construction’.
Our colleague Angela Feldmann had the chance to present the association ‘Attitude Building Collective ABC’.
abcollective.notion.site ↗
bayika.de ↗
Ten years ago, the project ‘Messe Frankfurt - Tor Nord’ was inaugurated! Over the years, the white oval roof above the control area of the main entrance has become a distinguished landmark.
read moreWe cannot see it, yet it exists. Dark matter is a mysterious composition of particles and the focal point of the exhibition DARK MATTERS, which opens on Saturday, 5 August 2023, at the Science Gallery Melbourne.
DARK MATTERS is a collaborative exhibition of the Science Gallery Melbourne, Arts at CERN and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics.
The exhibition is on display until 2 December 2023.
melbourne.sciencegallery.com ↗
arts.cern ↗
On 20 July at 5 p.m., a press conference for the prototype of Vertical Urban Greening, developed by OMC°C, will take place at the Senckenberg Naturmuseum Frankfurt. Among other speakers is our colleague Philipp Eisenbach, who will discuss special features and challenges the construction posed to the structural design and the methods used to complete the project.
Video: B+G
The IASS 2023 Symposium ‘Integration of Design and Fabrication’ takes place between 10–14 July in Melbourne, Australia. The symposium focuses on the increased importance and application of digital technologies in many design and manufacturing fields, and our talented colleagues Sascha Bohnenberger, Sandie Kate Fenton and Matthew Tam were invited to lecture and present their work on the topic.
read more
We are delighted to announce that our design proposal, developed with architect Gustav Düsing for the new German Embassy - Residence in Tel Aviv, won 1st prize!
read moreAs part of the ‘nbau. NACHHALTIG BAUEN’ column, the ‘Stuttgarter Nachhaltigkeitsstammtisch’ reports regularly on the current discourse on sustainable building. For the new issue (3/2023), our colleagues Marie Reichert and Angela Feldmann – active members of the ‘Stammtisch’ – have published an article on developing the simplification of deconstruction and the reuse of components.
Every last weekend in June, the annual Day of Architecture takes place throughout Germany. On this occasion, the ‘WOVEN CUBE’ was erected in the garden of the Architekten- und Stadtplanerkammer Hessen in Wiesbaden. Photo: B+G
Bog Crane (Sookurg), the second high-voltage pylon by PART, was inaugurated last week in Tartu, Estonia. The new mast is based on the same principles and visual identity as its predecessor Bog Fox.
Photo: PART
Bog Fox (first high-voltage pylon) →
As part of the event series ‘Die Baulöwinnen’ at the University of Wuppertal, Agnes Weilandt, partner at B+G, will give a lecture on 6 June at 6 p.m.
The project ‘Freiraum für Bauingenieurinnen’ focuses on female personalities currently shaping the world of structural engineering. The program is aimed at pupils and students and includes lectures at the University of Wuppertal, a podcast, and a mentoring program.
As part of our B+G Academy, the long-awaited B+G Academy – Structure workshop took place for the first time from 11 to 13 May. The idea of the B+G Academy is to offer career starters insights into our company and to exchange knowledge with colleagues from all locations.
The next B+G Academy – Structure workshop will take place in 2024.
Photo:B+G
On Friday, 2 June 2023, the ‘Generations – Perspectives in Computational Design’ symposium will take place at MAK - Museum für angewandte Kunst in Vienna.
Among the speakers is Clemens Preisinger, whose talk ‘History of the Parametric Finite Element Toolkit Karamba3D’ will focus on developing the software and its many uses in projects.
We are delighted to have helped return a former landmark of Hamburg Central Station to its original location after 80 years. The Atlas sculpture, which once adorned the historical axis of the building with an identical figure until the 1940s, was destroyed during World War II but saved by railway workers.
We were responsible for the inventory, the design, structural-constructive planning of the interior structure, the exhibition concept, and the substructure at the destination. The Atlas sculpture is exhibited in the foyer of the Central Station. After the exhibition, it will be reinstalled in its original position on the roof of the station building.
Photo: B+G
Simon Ruppert is part of the speakers of the ‘Architekturforum Thüringen’. The 61st lecture series is organised by BDA Landesverband Thüringen and the Faculty of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning at the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt, supported by the Chamber of Architects Thuringia, Germany.
His talk ‘Konstruktionen für schöne Häuser’ is scheduled for the 30 May, 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium.
In his lecture, ‘Design Workflows for a Complex Urban Steel Artwork’, our colleague Csaba Böhm will examine the role of digital workflows in project development, using the design and construction of an urban landmark in Sydney, Australia, as an example.
The lecture will take place on 26 April at 6 p.m. at MOME Budapest; it is open to the public and will be held in Hungarian.
Christoph Gengnagel and our former colleague Diego Apellániz has written an article in ‘nbau. NACHHALTIG BAUEN’ about the topics of LCA and parametric spatial design.
Most important conclusion: The tools are only a means, not an objective. The only goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of each project—as quickly as possible!
The future of the AEC industry will be very much about fluid granular data flows between design parties and design tools, as well as data-centric design insights and design assistance systems. In platforms like Speckle, we see first glimpses of the basic foundations of this new era of data-centric AEC processes.
More on Digital Technology →
Get the code from our GitHub ↗
speckle.systems ↗
Congratulations to the office of Schmidt Plöcker Architekten, the winners of the architectural competition for the atrium building of the KAIA revitalisation project. The design was convincing with innovative timber construction, the interaction with the existing building, and the public space’s extension. B+G were responsible for the structural and fire engineering as part of the team, and we also carried out an LCA comparison.
You can look at the winning and all other submitted designs until 13 April 2023 in the atrium of the planning department at Kurt-Schumacher-Straße 10 in Frankfurt.
Image: Groß&Partner
Exhibition details ↗
Press release Groß&Partner ↗
schmidtploecker.de ↗
‘BlinkC’ is a new plug-in by Torsten Künzler (B+G) developed to facilitate everyday Autodesk Revit work. The plug-in allows for quicker switching of category visibilities and transparencies and the possibility to save visibility sets for reuse in different projects.
This is our first plug-in for Autodesk Revit, now available for free on the Autodesk App Store.
Our colleague Christian Wrede is one of the speakers of this year’s event, where the topics of digitalisation and innovation in the construction industry are addressed. His keynote is scheduled for 2 March at 1.30 p.m.
Christian Wrede is committed to urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment and is driving the necessary transformation. His keynote concerns the topic ‘The Climate Emergency – Transformation of the Built Environment’.
The Norwegian furniture brand Vestre's new factory building, The Plus, was awarded Architecture of the Year at the Scandinavian Design Awards 2023.
The factory is a global showcase for sustainable and highly efficient furniture production in Magnor inland, Norway.
The building serves as a public park and is designed as the first Nordic industrial building to achieve the highest environmental BREAAM rating. Our team worked closely with Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).
Photo: Einar Aslaksen
Together with Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter AS, we are part of the winning design team of a new station building of the central train station in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The goal of the new building is to encourage more people to use public transport by creating additional access points.
The construction start is scheduled for mid-2024, and completion is scheduled at the turn of 2026/2027.
Image: Reiulframstadarkitekter
At the end of 2022, the ‘Place de l'Étape’ in Fontainebleau, France, and the fountain sculpture ‘Les Mâts’ by artist Elías Gama were inaugurated.
We were part of the project management team alongside the architectural firm Poiēma, which is responsible for the production and technical management of the fountain. The masts are 6 m high brass, and the fountain basin is of glazed ceramics. Our primary focus in the project was the masts’ dimensioning and anchoring in the ground, integrating the fountain’s watering devices. The contractors for the project are PetitJean and Térideal.
Photo: Poiēma
Even with the best academic degrees, one is never fully prepared for the professional field. We created our graduate school program, B+G Academy, to fill this gap. Students and teachers from different B+G locations met throughout 2022 for several days of knowledge transfer, and the first batch of graduates will finish in 2023.
If this interests you, consider joining our façade and structure teams!
Photo: B+G
Structural engineers are vital in exploiting the construction industry’s potential to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
Our interdisciplinary and cross-location expert team, ‘Sustainability/LCA’, is developing standardised workflows to integrate LCA into our daily project work. Our goal is to introduce all colleagues to the topics of life cycle assessment and sustainability strategies at the beginning of this year, to train them in using the design tools developed for this purpose and to introduce this design approach in all projects methodically.
This step is our active contribution to achieving the goal set by the Paris Agreement to reduce global warming to well below 2.0 °C or to continue the efforts to limit it to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.
Image: Ludovica Tedesco
The current ‘Deutsche BauZeitschrift’ (DBZ) issue, 01–02/2023, concerns the energy of the future. In the context of this topic, at the end of last year, deputy editor-in-chief Benedikt Kraft met for a talk with Manfred Grohmann, Agnes Weilandt, Angela Feldmann, and Christoph Gengnagel on the future of the structures. The result is a detailed article with exciting perspectives and statements on energy and processes.
Photo: B+G
Xaveer de Geyter Architects (XDGA) won the competition for the new building of the ‘Hochschule für Gestaltung’ (HfG) at Offenbach Harbour with the landscape architects Topotek 1. The new green campus will be able to welcome 800 students.
We supported the competition team in terms of structural engineering. Construction start is scheduled for 2026.
Image: XDGA
In the context of revitalising the old police headquarters Altes Polizeipräsidium (built 1912–1914), the structural safety assessment of the historic ceilings will be done via experimental loading tests due to the lack of existing as-built drawings.
On 22 November 2022, the German regional television channel ‘Hessische Rundfunk’ was on site with a film team to follow one of the loading tests.
Congratulations to our colleague Niklas Haschke whose ‘Structural Web Tool’ ranked 2nd in the innovation award ‘Building outside the Box’ hosted by the Bayerische Ingenieurekammer-Bau!
Niklas has developed an intuitive and user-friendly planning tool based on data-driven decisions that can significantly improve efficiency and resource conservation. Among the teams of applicants were two other colleagues, Alexander Hofbeck and Ljuba Tascheva.
Photo: B+G
We are happy to receive the ‘Arbeitgeber der Zukunft’ (Employer of the Future) award from the German Innovation Institute for Sustainability and Digitalization (DIND). DIND assesses companies for their innovative capacity, the status of digital transformation, employee friendliness, modern leadership, and recruiting strategies. E.g., flat hierarchies, flexible compensation models and employee benefits are included in building a holistic picture created using an evaluation matrix and developed with experts from business and science.
The digital exhibition ‘NOW, NEAR, NEXT,’ documents in an exciting way current projects and working methods of the NAX partners and focuses on the transformation of architecture and construction. The consistent German values such as perfectionism, quality in construction and project management, reliable engineering services and on-time delivery are enhanced by the experimental, the courageous, the different, the creative, the unfinished and perhaps also the typically ‘un-German’. Research and development play just as significant a role as new materials and (digital) processes.
To the exhibition ↗
nax.bak.de ↗
This week, the foundation stone was laid for the future GIZ Campus in Eschborn, Germany. The new six-storey building is being constructed on a total area of 53,000 m², of which 21,000 m² is underground and 32,000 m² above ground. Completion is scheduled for 2025.
The Viennese architectural office Caramel carries out planning and realisation; we are responsible for the structural engineering.
Image: Caramel
The second high-voltage pylon, Bog Crane by PART Architecture, follows the same principles and visual identity as its older sibling, Bog Fox. The new mast consists of one prominent member and three other support legs pinned onto four isolated foundations. The pylon was designed with the characteristics of the environment in mind and will become a part of the Estonian electricity infrastructure.
Photo: Tõnu Tunnel
We are now also represented in Northern Germany with our new branch in Hamburg. Our office is located close to the Elbphilharmonie.
The main contact person and branch manager is Tiago Silva de Carvalho. If you are in the region, you are welcome to drop by for a visit. We look forward to new and exciting projects!
B+G Bollinger und Grohmann GmbH
Am Sandtorkai 40
20457 Hamburg
The Estrel Tower is located at the edge of Berlin’s suburb Neukölln. Last week, the construction site was busy, and they finished the work on completing the floor slab.
The 177 m tall tower will become the new landmark and the city’s tallest high-rise. The Estrel Tower is scheduled to open at the end of 2024 and will offer a mix of hotels, serviced flats, offices, gastronomy, and event spaces. Barkow Leibinger designs it, and we oversee structural and façade engineering and building physics.
The University of Hamburg is building a new guest house in the Rotherbaum district. The ground floor of the eight-storey building will house the lobby and a seminar room. Flats and standard rooms are planned for the upper floors.
The foundation stone for the University of Hamburg’s new guest house has been laid, and completion is planned for 2024. We are responsible for structural and façade engineering.
Image: bloomimage_Buchner-Bründler
One hundred fifty years after the initial competition for the historic Stuivenberg Hospital, the winning team of this year’s competition for the site's redevelopment has been revealed, and we are part of it.
Image: Bovenbouw – Korteknie Stuhlmacher
The celebration of completing the structural work for the four-group daycare centre, residential floors and sports hall occurred this week in Wablingen South, Germany. The building complex is a hybrid construction out of timber and reinforced concrete. We were responsible for structural engineering and building physics.
In May, we supported the architectural office Mecke Palme in the invited façade design competition for the newly planned mine water hoist in Bergkamen, Germany.
We are happy to announce that our entry is the winner, not least because the design results from a unique creative exchange and collaborative design process between the architects and our office.
Image: Mecke Palme
The police HQ house five offices and around 430 employees, designed by wulf architekten. In addition to service and meeting rooms, the 6-storey building provides the necessary space for police operational training, areas for a firing range, a workshop, an underground car park for the service vehicles, a canteen and a staff parking deck. We were in charge of structural engineering.
In the middle of Frankfurt am Main, four unique high-rise buildings are currently being built on the former Deutsche Bank site. With their forward-looking architecture and sustainable urban development concept, they will bring together living, housing, and working in the centre of the banking district.
With our Arge partner Werner Sobek, we are responsible for the structural engineering of the FOUR project on behalf of Groß & Partner.
The film looks behind the scenes and shows how we, as a team, have mastered a significant project of this kind.
We are thrilled to announce that the new private museum for the Heidi Horten Collection opened today in Vienna after almost two years of construction work!
The refurbished building consists of a new underground level and four above-ground floors: an administrative level and three exhibition levels connected by free-floating staircases. The three upper levels are supported by four main supports at the ends of the existing central walls, the façade level and the firewall to the neighbouring building. The façade was preserved in its original state, apart from the incision for the new entrance area.
As part of its participation in ‘Bap! 2022 - Biennale d'architecture et de paysage d'Ile-de-France’, the Greater Paris Metropolis is proposing an exceptional architectural work, unveiling a pavilion that constitutes the first building experience based on the principle of a biodiverse wall.
Designed as part of a research project conducted by the ChartierDalix agency over several years, this structure is a massive load-bearing wall and a vertical floor inhabited by flora and fauna.
Photo: B+G
Congratulations to raumwerk for winning 2nd prize in the ENERGYHUB energy centre and transformer station competition at Deutzer Hafen in Cologne, Germany. The building ensemble provides a transformer station, energy centre and parking facility that captivates with its uniform appearance and, at the same time, refers to the tradition of brick expressionism of the 1920s and thus to the traces of this location. We gave expert advice in structural engineering.
Image: raumwerk
MORINGA in Hamburg’s HafenCity won the polis AWARD 2022! It won gold as the best project development in Ecological Reality.
MORINGA, Germany’s first residential high-rise, is being built in the Elbbrückenquartier in line with the cradle-to-cradle principle, directly on the water.
Image: rendertaxi/Moringa GmbH by Landmarken
Today, the topping-out ceremony for the KITA Anwandeweg daycare centre in Aschaffenburg, Germany.
The two-storey building with 6 group rooms, an open refectory with a gallery and an administration area is L-shaped around a playground. The new facility is a timber frame construction on a flat bedded floor slab. The arcade is presented as a steel construction. We are responsible for structural engineering, fire protection and building physics.
protoCAMPO is now starting to be installed in the garden of Académie de France à Rome - Villa Médicis following a year of co-design and construction with 44 professional students.
We worked together with the Wald.City and brings its expertise in structural engineering.
Photo: jeudi.wang
We are happy about the 1st prize in the Ettinghausenplatz competition in Frankfurt-Höchst, Germany, won by the architects Meixner Schlüter Wendt together with KuBuS Freiraumplanung and Bollinger+Grohmann.
Image: Meixner Schlüter Wendt
Studio Chris Fox’s latest artwork, ‘Immerge’ was recently completed. The interpretation of the original water tank is located next to the Tramsheds in Forest Lodge, Sydney. ‘Immerge’ resurrects a piece of history by using reused panels. Each panel weighs over 250 kg.
We were responsible for the structural engineering and specifications of the treatment and protection of the cast-iron panels.
Photo: Studio Chris Fox
Germany’s tallest residential building to date is being built in a timber-hybrid construction in Pforzheim. The residential tower will be constructed predominantly in timber with a reinforcing core as a steel structure. The core concreting work following the sliding method was realised within 11 days, and completion is scheduled for next Saturday.
read moreThe upcoming ‘Deutsche BauZeitschrift’ (DBZ) issue features an article by our colleagues Daniel Dieren, Diego Apellaniz and Christoph Gengnagel on digital life cycle analysis, an essential tool to optimise the life cycle assessment of projects in the early design phases. Using the example of the projects UP! (Jasper Architekten, Gewers Pudewill) and VOLTARIUM (hillig architekten, realace), they describe initial experiences, state of the art and its development potential.
The Cologne-based project developer PANDION and the city of Düsseldorf held an international competition for the high-rise building in Belsenpark II. We are pleased to announce that the design by UNStudio was chosen as the winner by the jury. The design includes a mixed-use high-rise with residential and office use and two other residential buildings. We supported the team in terms of structural and façade engineering.
Image: UNStudio & Flying Architecture
Ostrava Tower will become the tallest skyscraper in the Czech Republic, measuring 235 metres, designed by CHYBIK + KRISTOF and Anarchitekt, Jiří Soukup. During the study phase, we supported the design team in terms of planning services for structural engineering, consultancy for façade engineering and building physics, and we reviewed fire engineering and MEP/Building Services.
Image: CHYBIK + KRISTOF & Urban Designers
ArchDaily has revealed the 15 Building of the Year 2022 awards winners.
Into this selective list, Villa M, located in Paris, has been awarded in the Healthcare Architecture category. The building was completed in 2021 and aims to create a new pact between the city, nature, and health, and we contributed with façade engineering.
The recording of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) Symposium held in November 2021 is now online.
In the presentation ‘Optimising Reinforcement: Structural Analysis, Challenges and Strategies’, Adam Orlinski (B+G) introduces us to the possibilities of 3D-concrete-printing with parametric modelling and the potential within this combination. The presentation was developed with Klaas De Rycke and Moritz Heimrath, also from B+G, as part of the ‘Vision and Strategies for Reinforcing Additively Manufactured Concrete Structures’ symposium.
Open Conference Proceedings ↗
Conference Presentation Video ↗
Bollinger+Grohmann (B+G) and the engineering office Ingenieurbüro Greiner / IngenieuRinG (IB Greiner) join their forces.
Expertise, creativity, continuity, and much pleasure in project work are elementary components of our success. On this basis, B+G and IB Greiner have decided to integrate IB Greiner and its holdings into Bollinger+Grohmann Holding AG as of 1 January 2022 as part of a succession plan.
IB Greiner will operate as B+G Greiner GmbH in the future. The branches in Budapest and Omsk will continue to operate as IngenieuRinG Mérnökiroda Kft. and OOO GF Consulting.
Congratulations to HPP Architekten and the planning team on winning the first prize! We supported the team in terms of structural engineering.
The competition entry stands for a sustainable, resilient, mixed-use neighbourhood that allows for office, residential, commercial, cultural, daycare and care functions.
Image: HPP Architekten
The volume is the result of the research carried out by close cooperation between the architects from Park Associati and our engineers on the wide potential of wood as a sustainable resource in present and future architecture.
Join tomorrow's book talk during the ‘Bookcity Milano 2021’ at 7 p.m. at Park Hub via Garofalo 31 or join digitally. See link below.
The book will be released on 24 November 2021.
We are thrilled to announce that the Taiyuan Botanical Garden domes were selected winners of the Structural Awards 2021 in the Structural Artistry category!
The three timber grid shells are made from overlapping beams braced with post-tensioned cables. We were responsible for the development of the structural concept design.
Kudos to our colleagues at StructureCraft for the further development and fantastic structure realisation. Thanks to Delugan Meissl Associated Architects and the rest of the planning team for the outstanding cooperation!
Photo: CreatAR
Alexander Hofbeck and Moritz Heimrath from B+G will hold an online lecture on ESO Supernova. The observatory in the north of Munich was designed by Bernhardt+Partner Architekten and realised in close collaboration across three of our branches. Structural engineering and its parametric workflow will be the focus of this presentation from the beginning of the project until the end.
The lecture will take place on 11 November 2021 at 6 p.m.
Photos: ESO
The construction of the new production centre of Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) in Lausanne is underway. It is in a prestigious economic area.
The future headquarters is a set of four rectangular concrete buildings called the emergences, connected by a ‘bridge building’ called the Champ, for which we oversee the structural engineering.
The future RTS production site will open its doors in 2025.
Photo: Air Production Suisse Romande
Klaus Bollinger and the Berlin architect Volker Staab will participate next Tuesday in the Architecture Section’s lecture series ‘On the Duty and the Power of Architecture’. Akademie der Künste members present their current projects and talk about the responsibility and influence of building culture.
The lecture will take place on 26 October 2021 at 7 p.m.
The new Munch Museum opened its doors last Friday in Oslo. The museum gathers the most extensive worldwide collection of the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, whose collection was bequeathed when he died in 1944.
After the Deichman Bjørvika, this is the second project in the neighbourhood of the Opera House in the harbour of Oslo. This time, we were responsible for façade engineering.
Photo: Adrià Goula
Tuesday, 5 October 2021, the foundation stone of the Arena Porte de la Chapelle project in Paris was laid. The structure will house the badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events of the 2024 Olympic Games.
Our team is responsible for both the structural and façade design. The structure in the gymnasium area is a combination of concrete and wood elements. The base consists of a steel curtain wall façade and wooden cladding.
The arena is scheduled to open in 2023.
Atelier David Telerman and Objects Of Intention have realised McNeal 020 in the desert valley of Cochise County (Arizona) as an inverted pyramid set into the earth, with stairs leading to an underground square space in the form of a ‘reinforced concrete box’.
You can learn more about the project during the Grand Prix AFEX 2021 exhibition, which will be held at the Palais Royal in Paris until 2 January 2022.
Photo: David Telerman
Located at the edge of Berlin’s suburb Neukölln the 175 m tall Estrel Tower will become the new landmark and the city’s tallest high-rise. Completion is scheduled for 2024.
The design comes from the award-winning architectural firm Barkow Leibinger and we ate overseeing structural and façade engineering and building physics.
Image: Barkow Leibinger
tagesspiegel.de ↗
estudioherreros.com ↗
Hotel Ruby Luna in Düsseldorf is Hotelimmobilie des Jahres 2021. The hotel project results from revitalising the former Commerzbank high-rise in Kasernenstraße in Düsseldorf, designed by Paul Schneider-Esleben in 1962. It is one of early German post-war modernism's most crucial office high-rise buildings.
We were responsible for the structural and façade engineering.
After winning the launched competition for Gradient, two 300-metre-long pedestrian bridges, Nyon-Prangins and Bois-Bougy in Nyon, together with Exploration Architecture, the construction work for the first bridge has started.
The project is part of an environmental and social concept and thus reduces mobility-related C02 emissions. The bridge is scheduled for completion in 2023.
Image: Explorations Architecture
Sascha Bohnenberger, Managing Director of our Melbourne office, speaks during the lecture series on advanced technologies and optimisation in architecture and design.
Date: 12 October 2021
Time: 5 p.m. Sydney Time (8 a.m. CET)
Join via Zoom for free below.
From Thursday, 14 October at 6.30 p.m., we will have the pleasure of discovering and rediscovering the fabulous work of the agency Bruther whose exhibition ‘Engine, action, form’ traces the work of Stephanie Bru and Alexandre Thériot. It takes place in Bordeaux at the arc en rêve centre of architecture until 20 February 2022.
We are collaborating with Bruther on the ‘Frame’—a media house in Brussels—contributing with our expertise in structural engineering.
Image: Artefactorylab and Maxime Delvaux
This year’s wienwood prize was given to four outstanding timber buildings in Vienna, and among the winners is the seminar centre ‘Ilse Wallentin Haus’ at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU)! 78% of the four floored building is made from wood, resulting in low CO2 emissions during the construction and operation. We supported with structural engineering.
Photo: hertha hurnaus
This year, in addition to the ranking of architectural firms, the French magazine ‘Séquences Bois’ also honours specialist planners who invest in low-carbon construction, especially regarding implementing construction methods using materials such as wood, stone, clay, hemp, straw or recycled materials.
We are ranked 20th on the list of planning firms active in low-carbon construction. In another list of the most productive planning offices in low-carbon construction, we rank 8th!
The Brussels Architecture Prize jury nominated the footbridge Tondo for its first edition into the ‘small intervention’ category. It's for both its functional and structural qualities and shapes that this project was selected.
During the contemporary art festival ‘Artocène 2021’ in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, the Wald.City installed its flexible housing unit ‘Proto-Habitat’ at the city limits. The project combines low-carbon construction with sustainable living and consists of a wooden structure built on-site that can be easily assembled, disassembled and extended. The basic module is 45 sqm, can accommodate one to three people, and can be extended to a space of up to 120 sqm. We provided technical support for the project in terms of construction.
The five-storey Deichman Bjørvika at Oslo’s waterfront was awarded Årets Bygg 2020 (Building of the Year). Key factors in the jury’s final decision were the outstanding architectural solutions by the architects from Atelier Oslo and Lundhagem and the sustainable production, which reduced the CO2 emissions during construction by 40%.
We were responsible for the structural and façade engineering.
Photo: Einar Aslaksen
Christoph Gengnagel (B+G) gives a lecture as part of the online seminar of the ‘Bildungstage 2021 im IKzB’ at the Information and Competence Centre for Future-Oriented Building (IKzB).
The event is taking place on 6 September 2021 at 10.15 a.m.
Register via the link below.
This year, the 7th International Conference on Spatial Structures will take place from 23–27 August as a joint virtual event with the IASS annual symposium.
Manfred Grohmann is chairing Wednesday's Morning session S35 ‘Hangai Prize Applicants 1’ at 9.00–10.15 a.m. (GMT).
Sessions 48 and 58, ‘The future of structural design – symbiosis in architecture and structural engineering 1+2’, by chairmen Klaas de Rycke (B+G) and Lars De Laet (University of Brussels), take place on two consecutive days:
Wednesday, 25 August, 4.45–6.00 p.m. (GMT).
Thursday, 26 August, 10.30–11.45 a.m. (GMT).
Bollinger+Grohmann is supporting the conference as an Event Partner.
The Deichman Bjørvika in Oslo has been named the world’s best new public library. The Public Library of the Year award is presented annually by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) in collaboration with the Danish software company Systematic A/S.
We were responsible for structural and façade engineering.
The second NAX report for 2021 focuses on international timber construction.
As NAX sponsors, we were asked to report on our many years of experience in international timber construction projects.
The MY-CO SPACE pavilion was designed through a collaborative research project between the Technische Universität Berlin (Prof. Dr. Vera Meyer), Universität der Künste Berlin (WM Christian Schmidts) and Hochschule Bochum – Bochum University of Applied Sciences (Prof. Sven Pfeiffer) with structural support from Bollinger+Grohmann, has been completed and is part of the current exhibition ‘TinyBe - Living in a Sculpture’ in the Metzlerpark in Frankfurt.
The exhibition runs until 26 September 2021.
Photo: Prof. Sven Pfeiffer
Congratulations to Auer Weber for the 1st prize in the Neubau Stadtbahnbetriebshof Weilimdorf competition. We supported the architects in terms of structural engineering.
The depot marks a vital entrance to the city. In future, the project unites all the necessary buildings and areas under one landscape roof. Its concise form is developed from the functional framework conditions and its location in the landscape space. The light rail depot is scheduled to be completed in 2026.
Image: Auer Weber / Sabine Heine Illustration
Congratulations on the 2nd prize for refurbishing and replacing a laboratory and administration building for the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) in Berlin.
We supported the architects for this innovative and sustainable competition with a structural concept of hybrid concrete timber using cross-laminated and composite timber-concrete slabs.
Image. Nickl & Partner
Three years ago, we joined the artistic research project ‘Fluid Bodies’ under the direction of Klaus Bollinger at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. The research project aimed to challenge the conventional formwork concepts about concrete and the pre-existing assumptions about the material and its abilities. Models and objects in various sizes were produced with multiple methods spanning disciplines such as architecture, fashion design, structural design, and sculpture.
To celebrate the end of the project, the research team opened the doors to the public for a one-day exhibition at the Wotruba-Atelier in Vienna, where they completed their last workshop.
1 June 2021, 4 p.m.
Rustenschacherallee 2-4
1020 Vienna
Philipp Eisenbach (B+G) was invited to talk about creativity in the construction industry.
‘Baustelle Bauwesen’ is a German podcast on various structural engineering and construction topics, hosted and created by Philip Kalkbrenner and Michael Kalkbrenner.
We are happy about the 1st place in the competition MoLeCoLa promoted by Comune di Milano and C40 Cities, Reinventing Cities.
MoLeCoLa—Mobility, Learning, Community and Lab—consists of the urban redevelopment of Nodo Bovisa, Milan, and aims to create a sustainable and innovative technological district.
Image: Park Associati
The Bundesgartenschau in Erfurt has opened end of April and the panorama lift with the 27m long, very light and narrow connecting walkways is in operation. The walkways connect the free-standing elevator tower with the mighty bastion wall. On the city side, the small platform at the elevator tower offers a great view towards the cathedral square and the historic centre.
Architecture: Schulitz Architects
Structural Engineering: Bollinger+Grohmann
Photo: Schulitz Architects
As part of the extension of the Johannes Kepler Universität in Linz, we oversaw the structural engineering of the ‘TNF Tower –Somnium’, a free-form platform on the highest building on the campus. The viewing terrace, spatially framed by a trellis for future vegetation, serves as a remote oasis of relaxation for campus visitors.
The entry about the project, written by Thomas Schaumberger and Arne Hofmann from B+G, is featured in the April issue of ‘Stahlbau’ by Ernst und Sohn, Berlin.
The competitionline ranking is the only architects’ ranking in the German-speaking world based exclusively on competition results. Once a year, competitionline’s editorial team evaluates all the competition results published on their website and creates the ranking of their most successful offices.
We are delighted about the good rankings of our office in the following categories:
3rd place in the category ‘Structural Engineers’
6th place in the category ‘Civil Engineers’
3rd place in the category ‘Building Physics’
Nice Headquarter is designed as a high-tech building. The key characteristics are the transparency and lightness of the façades and the roof, a monolithic element that opens and closes according to the sun’s position and weather conditions. It provides a dynamic and flexible space for the inner courtyard.
A set of integrated lights enhances the building's perception at night, maintaining a high level of visibility and a sober profile blending with the surrounding environment.
We were responsible for structural and façade engineering.
Image: Park Associati and Bollinger+Grohmann
We received the sad news that Stefan Polónyi passed away on 9 April.
Stefan Polónyi was a leading builder, master teacher, inventor, pioneer, and role model. His exemplary contribution to science, teaching and practice strengthened the self-image of engineers and consistently enhanced constructive interaction between architects and engineers. We will miss him. Our thoughts are with his family.
Photo: Benedikt Kraft
Ilse Wallentin Haus is the recent timber construction at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). The project received the Green & Blue Building Award in the category ‘Project’ for the focus on sustainability during the development and for using recyclable and renewable materials. SWAP Architekten designed the building with Delta Projektconsult and our structural engineering support.
Congratulations to the entire project team!
Photo: hertha hurnaus
Our project was one of the five finalists in the International Competition for the new Administrative Centre of the Sicilian Region. It was great to participate in such a challenging and innovative project! Congratulations to the whole team:
Studio Transit, Studio Valle Progettazioni, Studio Faraone, Studio Cangemi, United Consulting, Bollinger+Grohmann, Gae Engineering, Studio A&P architettura del paesaggio with Eleonora Tomassini, Vamirgeoind, Fabio Roncato
Image: HERE S.r.l. with ENGRAM
The timber structure of the five-story student residence (timber and concrete hybrid) is rising at high speed. The prefabricated CLT wall and slab elements, which span up to approx. 8 m, arrive with all necessary openings and milled slots for the service pipes and are mounted next to the building’s concrete cores and compartment walls. Together with Ferdinand Heide Architects from Frankfurt, we started planning in early 2018 and were responsible for the structural engineering (LP1 to LP6) and building physics (LP1 to LP7).
Photo: Kai Laumann
What makes a project successful?
In the construction industry, the number of parties involved in the realisation of a project makes it impossible to guarantee success for everyone; mainly when basing it on a general idea of what success means. Angela Feldmann (B+G) was invited to discuss the factors generally comprising success within the construction industry and, together with the hosts, explore the manifold ways of looking at it.
‘Baustelle Bauwesen’ is a German podcast on various structural engineering and construction topics, hosted and created by Philip Kalkbrenner and Michael Kalkbrenner.
The AIT awards are one of the world's largest competitions for architecture and interior design. The Frankfurt Pavilion by schneider+schumacher and Bollinger+Grohmann were among the finalists in the category Retail/Fair.
The iconic building was constructed for the first time at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2018 and returned as the venue for events with authors and industry experts worldwide in 2019. The team generated and optimised the space-defining structure, taking into account architectural, structural and static criteria using genetic algorithms.
After one year of research on timber structures, Bollinger+Grohmann and Park Associati are working on a publication to collect all the information. How did we get the results of our study on wood? We combined our expertise through the applied exercise of re-engineering!
The speedy construction process in Frankfurt's Fritz-Kissel-Siedlung is impressive. After the building permit was granted in September 2020, the first tenants moved into the apartments in mid-December.
Since several construction steps happen simultaneously, you can follow every timber module addition phase on the construction site.
We were already in charge of the feasibility study for fire protection and the structural design for the extension in 2017. We are now also responsible for the entire fire protection concept and the structural engineering for the existing structures.
We are happy to share that our project, Extension of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, has been recognised in the Second Annual USGlass Design Awards, winning in the low- to mid-rise construction category.
As part of the façade team with FRENER & REIFER, we were responsible for the structural analysis, building physics proofs, design-assist, construction document phase, workshop and assembly planning of the façade.
After Baumschlager Eberle Architekten won the Digital Media House and Campus Development competition for the Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb) broadcasting building in the summer of 2020, we were chosen as planners for structural engineering, façade engineering and building physics.
The new building will combine cross-media working and production processes, moreover, intensify the cooperation of radio, online and television.
Image: rbb/Baumschlager Eberle Architekten
The A+Firm Awards spotlight engineers and professionals from the AEC sector.
We are happy to have been selected as one of the five Best Engineering Firm category finalists!
After the special foundation civil engineering in 2019, FOUR, our large-scale construction site, reached the foundation pit in partial cover construction. The reinforcement of the first-floor slab section has been laid, and from now on, it will go up parallel to the basement levels with the high-rise buildings.
With our ARGE partner Werner Sobek Frankfurt, we congratulate all those involved in the project on reaching this milestone.
On Thursday, 14 January 2021, the footbridge Tondo officially opened in Brussels.
Designed by Office KGDVS, the ‘spatial element’ connects the offices of the House of Representatives with its recent extension, the new Forum Building, on the other side of the Leuvensestraat. It can be described as a stiff disc, the roof, on which the floor hangs with a minimal presence of structure. We were responsible for structural engineering.
New year, new office, but the same lovely team is now in Rue de la Loi, Wetstraat 26, 1040 Brussels.
We look forward to meeting you there soon!
In March, the new handbook ‘Nachhaltigkeit, Ressourceneffizienz und Klimaschutz’ is going to be published by Ernst & Sohn. The aim is to summarise the current state of the art for civil engineers and the construction industry with constructive solutions for planning and building by providing assistance and orientation.
Registration book launch ↗
ernst-und-sohn.de ↗
The new Triest Verlag publication ‘Architektur fertigen. Konstruktiver Holzelementbau.’ has been available in bookshops for two weeks. The book focuses on design and planning strategies concerning their professional practice.
In her contribution, ‘Digital Design - Hacking the digital chain’, our colleague Agnes Weilandt introduces the parametric design, exemplified through various projects showing how the design can emerge in a system of synchronous design, technical feasibility and production.
The Norwegian award ‘Betongtavlen’ is given to buildings where concrete is used ecologically, aesthetically, and technically outstandingly.
The library was designed by the Lund Hagem Arkitekter together with AtelierOslo; we were responsible for structural and façade engineering.
Photo: Einar Aslaksen
This is the twentieth time that the Emporis Skyscraper Award has been delivered. The 164 m high Leeza SOHO Tower in Beijing reached 2nd place and Omniturm in Frankfurt, 190 m high, made 9th place.
We are happy to have been involved in planning these exceptional buildings. Congratulations to the design teams led by Zaha Hadid Architects and Bjarke Ingels Group for these awards.
Lycée Léonard de Vinci in Saint-Germain-en-Laye’ France, was awarded the Trophée Eiffel 2020 by ConstruirAcier. Congratulations to TANK Architectes and COSA Colboc Sachet architectures!
We were responsible for the structural design.
Image: TANK et COSA, architectes associés with photo by Camille Gharbi
Las Vegas Raiders hosted their first game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The opening match in the newly built 1.8 bn mega stadia occurred on 21 September 2020.
We provided the design of the cable roof structure and did the studies for the complex Biglift-installation and prestressing procedure of the cable roof. We were on site from the beginning until the last cable was pinned.
The book presents 20 outstanding buildings out of five volumes of ‘Ingenieurbaukunst’, published by the Federal Chamber of Engineers.
We are delighted to be part of this volume featuring two of our projects, the Louvre in Lens and the new ECB premises, which even made it onto the cover.
ernst-und-sohn.de ↗
project information – ECB →
project information – Louve Lens →