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Christopher Sitzler

Architect
Berlin

«I love working with existing structures, being on the hunt for their essence of beauty or specialty.»

Please, introduce yourself and your studio…

I am Christopher Sitzler, a Berlin based architect specialized in working with existing buildings / structures and revitalizing them – for the same or a different use. Five years ago I founded my own practice after having worked for big architectural firms in Zurich and Berlin, like pool Architekten or Robertneun. I love working with existing structures, being on the hunt for their essence of beauty or specialty. Combining this essence with the needs and whishes from the client leads to individual projects people understand and adore.

Portrait Christoph Sitzler – © Franz Grünewald

How did you find your way into the field of architecture?

While I was still in high school, I always wanted to study architecture. However, all my teachers told me that pursuing industrial engineering would be the right path for a safe career. Unsurprisingly, I found no joy in that field, and after two semesters, I switched to architecture—one of the best decisions of my life. After experiencing something you don't enjoy, you truly appreciate doing what you love.

What are your experiences founding your own office and being self-employed?

Being self-employed meant that the scale of my projects changed significantly—from large projects in big offices to small, privately owned residential projects. When you're designing 200 apartments, you don't know the future residents, and the architecture can feel anonymous, like "one size fits most." Now, I work on a much smaller scale and usually know the future residents personally. What I design fits the specific needs of my clients, combined with the size and uniqueness of the plot. I love working with people, even if it sometimes feels like being a therapist.

How do you remember your time as an architectural employee?

What changes when you transition from employee to employer? What are your thoughts on the working conditions in the field of architecture?
Architecture is part of my identity and personality; it's not just a 9-to-5 job for me. It gives me power and strength but can also trigger stress. Working on my own is much more rewarding compared to my time as an employee.

How would you characterize the city you are currently based in as a location for practicing architecture?

Berlin is a great city to live in and a splendid place for practicing architecture (and learning it!). The city offers nearly every architectural style—from good to bad. You can reconstruct, transform, add, or build new structures. In a period where housing is scarce, working as an architect is definitely more challenging than in Berlin after reunification. However, tough circumstances also mean more creative solutions are needed to make spaces livable that previously wouldn't have been considered desirable.

What does your desk or working space look like at the moment?

I am working from home, overlooking the city. I can see the Berlin TV Tower directly from my desk. I love the urban roughness of the cityscape that my panorama provides.

View from the Desk – © Franz Grünewald

Name your favorite …

Building: Neue Nationalgalerie

Architect: Mies van der Rohe

Building material: I am a material enthusiast and love to play with the characteristics of each material.

How do you imagine the future?

My utopia is that we no longer have to distinguish between nature and architecture, that we think of cities as forests. Literally, but also metaphorically, in terms of complexity and sustainability.

What needs to change in the field of architecture, according to you? How do you imagine the future? Imagine it's 2050: What is your personal utopia? Tell us about the most positive vision you have.?

I envision a return to simplicity. The way we build now is technically complicated, takes a lot of time, and leads to high construction costs. In my utopia, we've solved the energy problem and returned to simpler building constructions. Less regulation also means building faster, providing urgently needed housing quickly. Allowing architects to be more creative, less limited by unnecessary building regulations, would bring a wider array of architectural styles to a city like Berlin.

If there were one skill you could recommend a young architect study in depth at architecture school, what would it be and why?

It's important for any student to find the skill they're interested in and good at. That varies from person to person. What matters is that you have passion for what you do. You can always learn missing skills later on.

Do you think AI is changing the field of architecture? What does it mean to you? How do you use it?

My hope is that AI will help us as architects by freeing us from tedious CAD work and administrative tasks so we can focus on the creative process. I do not believe AI will replace creativity. AI models are trained on existing data, so whatever they create will always be a recomposition of that data, not something truly new and original. Maybe this will change with the arrival of general artificial intelligence, which, from what we know now, is several years away.

AI does impact my work today, as AI renderings circulating online already shape clients' expectations. It's my job to bring these expectations into harmony with the laws of physics and German construction regulations.

What person, collective, or project do we need to look into right now?

Magazines, social media, travel, and art are all important sources of inspiration for me. Being an architect means that taste and style constantly evolve. My inspiration changes over time with society, so it's impossible to name just one or three references.

However, if you ask what has recently inspired me: