Iconic Buildings
Iconic buildings are ground-breaking or unique in their design, enduring symbols, and witnesses to history. They convey poetic meaning and attempt to be timeless. Over more than 30 years since our office was established, we have created a number of iconic buildings. These have all been designed for a particular location and they remain enduringly beautiful.
Info-Box Berlin
The visitor’s pavilion designed for and overlooking the construction site at Potsdamer Platz became a crowd-puller in 1995. Even though it was inspired by a building site container, it was not in fact a container but displayed its own unique character, which set it apart from one. It was that, that made it an icon. Windows were positioned on corners and the box was raised up: This not only allowed visitors more of a bird’s eye view of the building site, but meant that the box could clearly be seen as an object in its own right.
Städel Museum
From an architectural point of view, the extension to the Städel Museum tackled the conundrum of how one might preserve a beautiful public garden, yet simultaneously create an ideal space for art, destined to be located in a basement on account of urban planning issues. Here skylights, or "eyes for art", became the key component. They mirror the building's soul.
Autobahn Church Siegerland
Being given the opportunity to plan and build a church is an architect's dream. Such a remit involves very few functions, and lacks having to get to grips with complex processes. It is not about optimising usable and circulation areas – it is all about space, form, and light, and striving for something higher and more momentous, something that cannot actually be depicted. It's also about finding a form of expression for the incomprehensible, a kind of form that will push us inside and allow us to enter worlds that are otherwise closed to us. It's purely about architecture. (Michael Schumacher)
PANDION DOXX
In the shimmering golden PANDION DOXX building located on the customs harbour in Mainz, 168 apartments have been created - designed by schneider+schumacher and bb22 Architekten. Besides its shimmering golden façade, another characteristic feature of the building is its double-X shaped floor plan. This arrangement offers views in all directions, provides optimal natural light, and maximises the distance to the buildings opposite.
Books only reveal their interior on closer inspection. But then, at their best, they cast a spell over you... This is exactly the image we had in mind when we designed the pavilion. (Till Schneider and Kai Otto)
Till Schneider and Kai Otto
