Kiez meets architecture

On 16 May, a visionary get together with highly appealing lectures on façades and glass of the future captured the interest of 120 architects, planners and metalworkers. Peter Hemmert, Oliver Haberkorn and Jürgen Buchholz acted as hosts and Clubhouse St. Pauli provided the inspiring and energetic setting for the architects’ event.

You heard right: BAU comes to Kiez, Hamburg’s renowned entertainment district! In the venue, urban life rages: music fans, culture freaks and night owls of all persuasions come together to enjoy live music and entertainment across six floors. But that’s not all as it is also a working space – the home of creativity.

The makers at WICONA and their partners ONLY GLASS, FRERICHS GLAS and HafenCity University found an ingenious and most suitable environment for people who want “to shape the city of the future together”. 

A well-focussed, informative afternoon added to the momentum of the environment: Dr Julian Petrin (Managing Director of urbanista and Founder of ThinkTank NextHamburg) gave a presentation on visionary urban development, both nationally and internationally. Prof. Frank Wellershoff (HCU, HafenCity) gave a talk on “Breathing façades”: Project façades with natural ventilation from HCU façade building research. Reinhard Cordes (Managing Director FRERICHS GLAS / ONLYGLASS), Ralf Krüßel (Product Manager ONLYGLASS) and Thorsten Bauer (Creative Director URBANSCREEN) demonstrated the fascinating possibilities for media façades as customised façade cladding with recognition value. Peter Hemmert and Marcus Menges (WICONA Project Consultancy) reminded participants about the benefits of WICONA innovations at BAU 2017, focussing on composite windows, PushSlide, the ModulAir façade (CCF), WICTEC 50 Design, BIM and Cradle to Cradle.

The final get together once again provided delegates with the opportunity to meet professionals, exchange ideas and make contacts to their hearts content. A perfect and successful afternoon and evening. The media façade at Clubhouse St. Pauli, which displayed the WICONA logo, was an impressive sight.