DRESDEN, 20 March 2025
ARCHITECTURE FOR EVERYONE | The public sector as a role model
We were delighted to host the JUNG Architecture Talks in Dresden for the first time in 2025. Together with the Saxony regional chapter of the BDA (Association of German Architects), we welcomed guests on 20 March to the Haus der Kathedrale, located next to Dresden Castle. The evening’s theme was Architecture for Everyone | The public sector as a role model, and we were pleased to present representatives of three renowned German architecture offices as keynote speakers. Each of them provided insights into their approach to architecture through the lens of selected public projects.
We spoke with Peter W. Schmidt of Peter W. Schmidt Architekten from Pforzheim. Founded in 1989, the firm is known for architecturally ambitious cultural and educational buildings, residential projects, and large-scale industrial structures. From Munich, we welcomed Birgit Rudacs of Burger Rudacs Architekten. Since the outstanding success of their John Cranko School in Stuttgart, the office has become a major player on the German architecture scene. Last but not least, we were joined on stage by Clemens Habermann of Habermann Architektur in Berlin. With their project Kulturweberei—a contemporary concert and event venue in Finsterwalde—the firm is currently attracting wide attention.
The evening was moderated by Alexander Poetzsch, chair of the Saxony chapter of the BDA.
We spoke with Peter W. Schmidt of Peter W. Schmidt Architekten from Pforzheim. Founded in 1989, the firm is known for architecturally ambitious cultural and educational buildings, residential projects, and large-scale industrial structures. From Munich, we welcomed Birgit Rudacs of Burger Rudacs Architekten. Since the outstanding success of their John Cranko School in Stuttgart, the office has become a major player on the German architecture scene. Last but not least, we were joined on stage by Clemens Habermann of Habermann Architektur in Berlin. With their project Kulturweberei—a contemporary concert and event venue in Finsterwalde—the firm is currently attracting wide attention.
The evening was moderated by Alexander Poetzsch, chair of the Saxony chapter of the BDA.
Impressions
Photography: Tim Dornaus
PETER W. SCHMIDT
PETER W. SCHMIDT ARCHITEKTEN, PFORZHEIM/BERLIN
Peter W. Schmidt, born in Karlsruhe in 195, studied at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts under Pritzker Prize laureate James Stirling. Prior to that, he worked for several years at the office of O. M. Ungers in Cologne. After completing the masterclass, he began working as an independent architect. In 1989, he founded the architecture office Peter W. Schmidt Architekten, which now operates from two locations: Pforzheim and Berlin.
“Architecture is the grand hymn to the environment we shape – guided by rules of measure, proportion, and material that cannot be dictated by the many-voiced chorus of urban society.”
www.pws.eu
“Architecture is the grand hymn to the environment we shape – guided by rules of measure, proportion, and material that cannot be dictated by the many-voiced chorus of urban society.”
www.pws.eu
Image: © Peter W. Schmidt Architekten
BIRGIT RUDACS
BURGER RUDACS ARCHITEKTEN, MUNICH
Burger Rudacs Architekten was founded in 2000 by Stefan Burger and Birgit Rudacs. The two met while studying architecture together at TU Graz. Since then, they have successfully participated in design competitions and realised many of the projects. Continuously working on competitions allows them to constantly examine and refine their architectural position and design approach through internal discourse. Their projects are defined by conceptual clarity and a strong sense of spatial atmosphere.
“Construction, form, materiality, and atmosphere are understood as a unity – allowing the desired architectural beauty to emerge. Our work often reflects on the durability of architectural aesthetics and the question of permanence. Our conviction that architecture is a place in time is one of the answers we have found to this compelling question.”
www.burger-rudacs.de
Image: © Burger Rudacs Architekten
“Construction, form, materiality, and atmosphere are understood as a unity – allowing the desired architectural beauty to emerge. Our work often reflects on the durability of architectural aesthetics and the question of permanence. Our conviction that architecture is a place in time is one of the answers we have found to this compelling question.”
www.burger-rudacs.de
Image: © Burger Rudacs Architekten
CLEMENS HABERMANN
HABERMANN ARCHITEKTUR, BERLIN/FINSTERWALDE
Habermann Architektur is an architecture and engineering office with locations in Berlin and Finsterwalde. It provides general planning services for both private and public clients. The office works across a range of scales and building types, including cultural, educational, and healthcare buildings, as well as private industrial, commercial, and residential projects—often in heritage-listed contexts.
“We strive for appropriate and lasting designs that embrace the ecological dimension of building alongside the functional requirements and economic constraints of each project and translate them into forms that are both identity-shaping and poetic.”
www.habermann-architektur.de
Image: © Habermann Architektur
“We strive for appropriate and lasting designs that embrace the ecological dimension of building alongside the functional requirements and economic constraints of each project and translate them into forms that are both identity-shaping and poetic.”
www.habermann-architektur.de
Image: © Habermann Architektur
MODERATION
The event was moderated by Alexander Poetzsch, chair of the Saxony chapter of the BDA (Association of German Architects).
www.alexanderpoetzsch.de
Image: © Matthias Popp Fotografie
www.alexanderpoetzsch.de
Image: © Matthias Popp Fotografie
