Transformation

Trans formation

Transformation

is CHANGE.

Not

Rule book

Tabula Rasa

Big Plan

Technocrat

Not

Rule book

Tabula Rasa

Big Plan

Technocrat

but

Complexity

Transformation

Process

Curator

But

Complexity

Transformation

Process

Curator

Unlock hidden space

It is a common, that uses become less important, outdated and even completely disappear over time. Inner city railway yards, rivers, and harbours were once infrastructure for transport and trade. Industry was an economic driver that took large sways of land. With changes in use, new opportunities emerge to transform the spatial patterns that shaped cities and people’s lives towards a new level.

Beyond the big event

Large events such as Olympic Games and World Expos can generate exceptional power to transform urban areas. But global events are also extremely pressured to deliver within narrow guidelines set mostly to meet the deadline and to host the actual event. To achieve positive transformation the long term future of an event site must be integral part of its execution.

Turn the city to its river

In healthy ecosystems, rivers are the lifeline of a region. The industrial age usually considered the rivers only as backwater, as drainage channel, and as transport infrastructure. Rapid urbanization never put much attention to the rivers. To refocus development positively onto rivers offers transformation opportunities for water management, biodiversity as well as many human oriented qualities.

Reach beyond boundaries

Modern humans have divided and organized the land and the ocean, so they can own, plan, exploit and manage it. By imposing a man-made structure, they have often ignored the geographical, hydrological, and ecological systems of a place. We must question these artificial boundaries to make resilient and regenerative plans.

Attractive
without end

Urban life has become reality for the majority of the world population. But the urban age coincides with the shock recognition that human interest dominates the fate of planet Earth negatively.

“Transformation is changing cities as reality.”

Wild regional idenity

Royal parks, grand boulevards, or staging plazas for institutions show how open spaces are mere expressions of human ideas, designed in certain styles or following changing fashions. We advocate to strongly reconnect cities back to the wild, natural roots of their region. This allows local flora and fauna to thrive again, and it builds a desperately missed identity for urbanites.

Initiate new harmony

People move to and live in cities, because of the anonymity, the excitement, and the opportunities they off er. However, often people start to miss the opposite, and they travel far to enjoy beautiful, calm, natural places. Few urbanites have the opportunity to discover the natural beauty of their home region right at the doorstep.

Natural Futurism

To transform cities with nature and for all species is not a merely poetic desire. Especially, recreation and cultural functions benefit immensely from a rich and blossoming setting. Parks and open spaces can draw large amounts of people. Beyond traditional ways, technology can help to encourage harmonious ways of living where nature thrives together with human activities.

Nature as Leverage

Existing cities and their degraded surrounding peri-urban areas need to transform. But also the planning system behind metropolitan regions is in urgent need for change. To move away from the existing degenerative, harmful model to regenerative development requires solutions that truly let the planet flourish, before considering integration of human needs.

Boost Modernism

The construction of the modern mass housing estates followed “scientific” standards and delivered large numbers of “optimum” housing units and related amenities. However, since construction, society and housing needs have moved on significantly. Unfortunately, these neighbourhoods don’t easily follow the changing needs without external boosts.

Advice to move on

Existing cities are full of places and neighbourhoods that have been built with a vision, but that have fallen behind over time. The reasons can be manifold, but the complexity of interlinked topics is often a central challenge. When during construction times one plan was still enough to deliver, transformation requires a more nuanced and multilayered process for change.

Transform to a positive level

While people continue their move to cities for a better future, we focus our practice on positive transformations: systematic change that does no harm, integrated creation for all species, driven by values beyond personal and commercial interests.

Start with the existing

All corners on earth have been influenced by humans. Most cities of the future already exist today. We avoid tabula rasa, but start with the existing. We recognize and work with the existing local condition, the existing cultural knowledge, and the existing built form, uses and people as basis for the future.

Make new from old

Megacities tend to drain businesses, people and the future out of their surrounding countryside. We answer with the reinvention of a derelict rural warehousing site between Shanghai and Hangzhou into a marketplace 3.0 for agriculture, youth, culture, science, and countryside living - all based on a careful collage of old and new.

Mix life of all forms

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Create central active places

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“Transformation is creating something new with something old.”

Livable complexity

Limited land demands more intense use in many cities around the world. This means to consider a closer proximity of industry, roads and neighbourhoods for example, to design and to operate hybrid complexes with a mix of uses, or build and to manage higher densities. None of this new complexity can come at a cost of lower quality of living.

Talented Homes

To find accommodation at reasonable cost in a decent quality and location is a challenge for many city dwellers. The housing ladder, the way to succeed in the commercial housing market, is not open to even the best educated young professionals. Housing is short, and choices are limited. This impossible situation opens opportunities for new housing models.

Unlock hidden space

Beyond the big event

Turn the city to its river

Wild regional idenity

Reach beyond boundaries

Attractive
without end

Urban life has become reality for the majority of the world population. But the urban age coincides with the shock recognition that human interest dominates the fate of planet Earth negatively.

Transformation

Trans formation

Transformation

is CHANGE.

Not

Rule book

Tabula Rasa

Big Plan

Technocrat

Not

Rule book

Tabula Rasa

Big Plan

Technocrat

but

Complexity

Transformation

Process

Curator

But

Complexity

Transformation

Process

Curator

Unlock hidden space

Beyond the big event

Turn the city to its river

Reach beyond boundaries

Attractive without end

Wild regional idenity

Initiate new harmony

Natural Futurism

Nature as Leverage

Boost Modernism

Advice to move on

Transform to a positive level

Start with the existing

Make new from old

Mix life of all forms

Create central active places

Livable complexity

Talented Homes

Unlock hidden space

Beyond the big event

Turn the city to its river

Wild regional idenity

Reach beyond boundaries

Attractive without end

Initiate new harmony

Natural Futurism

Nature as Leverage

Boost Modernism

Advice to move on

Start with the existing

Make new from old

Mix life of all forms

Create central active places

Transform to a positive level

Talented Homes

Livable complexity

Send us an email

Attractive
without end

Attractive
without end