April 2026

Like most cities, Heilbronn faces the challenges posed by structural change and shifts in the retail sector. To revitalize the downtown area and develop it into a diverse and sustainable place, the city of Heilbronn adopted a program of comprehensive measures last year.

Key measures include the “City Center Future Concept”, which is being developed by urbanista, and the urban development framework plan, for which we were commissioned together with Sippel+Buff and Treibhaus Landschafsarchitektur. The future concept bundles measures, sets priorities and creates a strategic compass for the coming years. Our framework plan looks at the spatial effects. It shows where new potential lies, how uses can change and how the city center will be designed in the long term.

The framework plan serves as the basis for the further development of public space and is intended to guide future zoning plans and other planning decisions.

The two projects are closely intertwined—not only in terms of content, but also in the process, which is designed to foster dialogue. In joint workshops involving policymakers, government officials, and the public, different perspectives are discussed and common approaches are developed.

Image: Stadt Heilbronn Informations- und Pressedienst

April 2026

We are excited to launch another exciting project: the cafeteria and library complex in Magdeburg. The construction project is one of many components on the campus of Magdeburg University Hospital, which is set to undergo further development in the coming years and will ensure medical care in northern Saxony-Anhalt in the future. The client for these measures is IPS Immobilien- und Projektmanagementgesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt mbH, whose shareholder is the State of Saxony-Anhalt.

Our design calls for a timber-frame building with a clear, defined form that accommodates the various functions—food service, cafeteria, and library—across nearly 11,500 square meters. While the building is vertically structured by the distribution of functions across floors, the large horizontal spaces are zoned by recessed courtyards and the entrance atrium, bringing them down to a human scale. The green courtyards provide beautiful views and space for biodiversity. The building will be constructed in accordance with BNB standards and is intended to become a flagship of sustainability on campus.

Construction is scheduled to begin as early as 2027, with the project set to be completed by the end of 2029.

April 2026

Hardly any of our other projects attracts as much public attention as the master plan for the B14 – whether from a political or social perspective, or in terms of mobility and climate resilience. From the outset, we have therefore sought to incorporate all viewpoints through various participatory formats.

Following the first major public consultation held last October at the StadtPalais in Stuttgart, a departmental workshop took place at our premises a few days ago.

In the first part of the workshop, we presented the current status of the planning process together with our project partners from Koeber Landschaftsarchitektur and Inovaplan. In the second part, we discussed expectations and potential synergies regarding the planning process with representatives from various departments of the City of Stuttgart, using a model. We also discussed what successful collaboration might look like and how we can facilitate ongoing dialogue.

If you’d also like to get involved and join the discussion: the second phase of the public consultation will take place in July, once again organised by planbar hochdrei. Further details will follow in due course.

march 2026

Last week we launched the second round of our “Circular Construction Dialogue”, and once again we were delighted by the huge interest shown, the large number of participants and the impressive contributions from the speakers – we’d like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you for joining us and getting involved!

As with our launch event in December, the session began with a brief introduction by the two hosts, Borbala Kneip and Raphael Dietz, followed by a speech by Peter Reinhardt, the managing director of IFbau. Our guest speakers on this occasion were Elif Kälberer, who works at Adapter e.V. and the University of Stuttgart, and Manuel Michalski from Drescher Michalski Architekten.

Elif Kälberer provided insights into a student project focusing on the reuse and repurposing of components from Stuttgart railway station. She also presented the work and vision of Adapter. This voluntary association identifies vacant buildings and works with the owners to revitalise them, for example through temporary residential use and circular modular construction.

Manuel Michalski’s talk also focused on building within and with existing structures in the spirit of circular construction. His presentation of the award-winning ‘Nordgrün’ project demonstrated how the potential and success of circular construction are linked to the client’s willingness to engage, their enthusiasm for experimentation, and their courage.

We are delighted that so many interested participants joined us for the discussion this time and hope for a lively turnout at the upcoming events as well. The next event will take place on 1 July 2027; further details – including information about the speakers – will follow in the coming weeks. And for those who would like to make a note of the dates now: our further dialogues on circular construction this year will take place on 16 September and 2 December.