The Dutch have always been rock 'n' roll
"The Dutch have always been rock 'n' roll" ... our answer to the question of what we admire about Dutch architecture. Journalist Vera Lisakowski from kultur.west magazine visited us in our Aachen office and talked to Markus Sporer and Marcel Blom about the similarities and differences between Dutch and German building culture.
You can read the article here: www.kulturwest.de/die-niederlaender-waren-immer-der-rock-n-roll
Thoughts on the topic of educational buildings
Educational buildings have a special social and societal significance. They are places of learning as well as places of communication, they are spatial mediators of content and accompany us through our everyday lives as a matter of course. They are cross-generational meeting places for social life and places of identification for the city in which they are located. Their architecture makes a significant contribution to this. Because the architectural design of these places influences the way we experience education and learn knowledge.
At CROSS Architecture, we find a tailor-made answer to every question. A look at the projects we have planned or realized reveals a variety of approaches. The starting point is always the understanding and implementation of the wishes and needs of future users.
You can find a complete overview of previous educational buildings such as the House of Knowledge in Bochum, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, the International School Utrecht and the Mining Museum in Bochum via the "Work" button on our website.
We are approaching the finish in Haarlem!
Our CROSS House in the Netherlands will be completed this summer and we are looking forward to being ready to move in this fall. Parts of the new building will become the office headquarters for our Dutch team – so this special project also means a big change for us. The CROSS House is a building with two residential units and a studio on the first floor on a 100 square meter building plot. This fills a gap in the urban structure of the De Kamp district in Haarlem's historic city center. Bordered by the historic 18th-century Hofje van Guurtje Buret and a 20th-century housing project, the design restores the architectural balance that once characterized this small site.
A look into the future!
The House of Knowledge will become reality and open in 2026 in Bochum. Until then, our 3D model is being tested. During the “Baukongress – Die Zukunft des Bauens“ in Aachen, Formitas AG ventured into the digital world and experienced the House of Knowledge in digital space. How will it feel to stand in the real House of Knowledge? We still need a little patience, but we are already looking forward to it.
Credit: Formitas AG
CROSS Newsletter incoming
Behind the scenes, we are busy working on our newsletter, which will land in your mailboxes in the coming weeks. Our newsletter keeps you up to date on the status quo of our projects, milestones and thoughts on architecture and beyond - a digital insight into our vision!
Sign up here: www.cross-architecture.net/newsletter
House of Knowledge, construction site update
One of the biggest, most challenging and exciting projects we've worked on so far? The House of Knowledge in Bochum. At the moment, something is changing almost every day on the construction site and the building process is progressing.
The status quo of the building demolition:
- North wing gutted up to ground floor
- North wing ceiling above ground floor is currently being demolished
- North wing courtyard façade removed down to ground floor
More updates to follow!
Credit: Herwig Niggemann, Stadt Bochum
We are celebrating 8 years of CROSS Architecture!
We're celebrating: CROSS Architecture turns 8! Launched in 2016 and still going strong. We would like to thank everyone who has accompanied us on this journey. A lot has happened in the last eight years. Whether interesting projects, great moments with our team and colleagues and different challenges. We are looking forward to what the next years have in store for us.
The editors of zdf asked, we answered!
The German government aims to build 400,000 new homes every year. However, this is still a long way off. The discussed introduction of building type E could help to build more simply, efficiently and quickly. But what is the situation in the Netherlands? What is different here and how does the government there deal with such construction projects? in their search for answers, the ZDFheute editorial team approached us.
With our German-Dutch DNA, we combine the "best of both worlds" - the experimental approach of the Dutch school of architecture with the technical precision of German building culture. Cornelius Wens and Markus Sporer visited the Netherlands with the ZDFheute team. Using a number of practical examples, they showed where the main differences in construction lie and what the German building regulations could possibly learn from the Dutch.
The result of the visit can be found in the zdf media library: www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute-sendungen
Polis Award for our House of Knowledge project
The House of Knowledge won first prize in the "Reactivated Centers" category.
We celebrated properly! A great success for the city of Bochum and the entire project team. Thanks to the laudator Cornelia Zuschke for the wonderful speech. We are delighted with the extremely positive response.
Laudatory speech by Cornelia Zuschke, Head of Planning LHD:
"Isn't it great when a local authority, as the owner of a property, takes the future of its city center into its own hands and also takes an unprecedentedly creative approach? Our winning project this year reflects exactly what we so often discuss as the city center of the future: a place where life takes place. A place that is public, that does not oblige the consumption of goods, but rather enables the consumption of encounters, education and enjoyment. A place that invites and encourages. A place where citizens feel wanted and visitors feel welcome. And all this between old and new architecture that sets completely new standards in terms of design. The jury is convinced that this year's winning project does a lot of things right and wishes all those involved in the project every success!"
The House of Knowledge "Baubude" is open!
At Willy Brandt Platz 8 - diagonally opposite the construction site - the "Baubude" for the House of Knowledge has opened.
The contact point for anyone who wants to find out more about the project can find pictures, plans and models of the House of Knowledge here. There is also the opportunity to walk through the virtual model on a large screen with a controller, look around and visit the roof terrace. The House of Knowledge Cargo Bike also brings the project to the city! The wooden model in 1/200 scale fits into the tailor-made model attachment and will be on display at various locations in Bochum. We are delighted with the many great ideas for communicating the project idea. After a visit to the Baubude, we recommend a stop at Cafe Oktober - best espresso in town!
