20/007
Opposite Office
Architecture Office
Munich
«In most cases the start as a young architect is very difficult. It helps if you have money, rich friends or connections. I didn’t have that, so the only way of starting was doing open competitions and this sucks.»
«In most cases the start as a young architect is very difficult. It helps if you have money, rich friends or connections. I didn’t have that, so the only way of starting was doing open competitions and this sucks.»
«In most cases the start as a young architect is very difficult. It helps if you have money, rich friends or connections. I didn’t have that, so the only way of starting was doing open competitions and this sucks.»
«In most cases the start as a young architect is very difficult. It helps if you have money, rich friends or connections. I didn’t have that, so the only way of starting was doing open competitions and this sucks.»
«In most cases the start as a young architect is very difficult. It helps if you have money, rich friends or connections. I didn’t have that, so the only way of starting was doing open competitions and this sucks.»
Please, introduce yourself and your Studio…
Hi, my name is Benedikt and I run the architecture studio Opposite Office. We are a small office located in Munich. Thomas, who is still studying architecture at TU Munich is a collaborator and supports me. Although I’m virtually alone, I still believe in the importance of teamwork. That’s why we like to work in cooperations, either with other architectural firms or interdisciplinary teams. At the moment we are working on a large-scale project for a workshop for people with disabilities together with studio lot, who are friends of mine. Working with larger offices is mostly very fruitful: They have an office structure and a network (which we do not have) and a lot of experience in building. We are unconventional and often have a carefree attitude that often disappears in larger offices. That complements very well!
Sheltered Workshop, Opposite Office + Studio lot
Workshop for people with disabiloties – Opposite Office + Studio lot
How did you find your way into the field of Architecture?
My only predestination.
What comes to your mind, when you think about your diploma project?
That it was… and still is very good.
What are your experiences founding Opposite Office and working as self-employed architect?
In most cases the start as a (young) architect is very difficult. It helps if you have money, rich friends or connections. I didn’t have that, so the only way of starting was doing open competitions and this sucks.
Which project started your practice?
I did competitions where more than 500 architects participated. So if you calculate correctly and believe in statistics, it can take a long time to win one. In Germany, the problem for starters is that there a only a few open competitions. If you want to participate at a competition for a school you usually have to have already built five schools… But I was quite lucky and won two of the first competitions.
Which competitions did you win?
One was for an experimental small-scale village and the other was the workshop which I already mentioned. And, of course, there is the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace, which takes a lot of time. Building authorities in Great Britain are very slow and check thoroughly. The queen as owner isn’t easy to catch.
A pretty good quota of winning competitions...
No, of course we also lost some! We have changed the program or the competition conditions too much for some of our competition entries. For the competition of a marine museum in Portugal, for example, we left the given site and designed a plastic recycling plant instead. We already have enough museums! Of course you can’t win with such a proposal but you can contribute to the questions of our world which is dominated by capitalism and materialism. Can we really continue to build as before? Do we always need more?
Competition Entry Marine Museum
Competition Entry Marine Museum
Another competition where we got an honorable mention is the conversion of an old castle in Sicily which was an open international ideas competition with more than 500 entries.
Competition Entry Luce nel castello
Competition Entry Luce nel castello
How would you characterize Munich as location for practicing architecture?
As I mentioned above, Germany and especially Munich are not that easy for young architects. The environment is more conservative than in many other countries. We have strict building laws and people are more skeptical about new innovative architecture. But of course there are exceptions!
How is the context of this place influencing your work?
I don’t think Munich, the place of our office, has a big influence to our work, it is more the context of the building side itself, which influences our work. Politics, society and nature also have a major influence: climate change, pollution, the gap between rich and poor are factors that influence the design.
What does your desk/working space look like?
Always messy!
Working Space – Photo by Beathe Kellmann
Working Space – Photo by Beathe Kellmann
What is the essence of architecture for you personally?
In general architects (including me) tend to overrate the meaning of architecture. So basically the essence of architecture is that you have a roof over your head. …Millions people worldwide don’t have that.
Your architectural mentors?
In our book «Reminiscence» they are all in!
«Reminiscence» by Benedikt Hartl und Benedict Esche
«Reminiscence» by Benedikt Hartl und Benedict Esche
How do you communicate/present Architecture?
I like to draw freehand…
What has to change in Architecture?
I think in the next decade there has to change a lot. We are facing climate change, many cities have an (affordable) housing crisis, the gap between rich and poor is getting bigger and bigger, capitalism reaches its limits. So if I think about all this we have to change a lot in our society and our architecture. This will both have an effect on each other.
What do you exactly mean and how do you imagine the future?
Traffic and Travelling has to change. Individual motor car traffic will vanish, air traffic has to be limited (or someone invents a new ecological way of travelling long distances), the production of our houses should need less (embodied) energy, our architecture has to become more flexible and must adapt to different life situations.
Your thoughts on Architecture and Society?
Look at our project Affordable Palace and read the open letter to the Queen!
Of course we recognized your project “Affordable Palace” which went viral worldwide...
Yes it is still going strong. Last week it was on public television in France.
Can you tell us about the discussion that is going?
On the one hand, the discussion is very serious and on the other hand very funny and controversial. I like funny things! Some Englishmen are annoyed, asking if the project is financed by European Union and some even feel confirmed to leave the EU. Actually that was not intended. We love Great Britain! Don’t (be so stupid to) leave! For Daily Mail, it was very important that we are German and people named our project “Merkel Towers”. I like this name, it is catchy but does not match my political direction. “Albert Speer 2.0” neither and to calm down, I first had do drink a glass of whiskey.
What about the serious discussion?
People were amazed that the Queen would let people live with her. People were discussing about other buildings that could be converted to Social Housing and the discussion about fire safety and escape routes was very inspiring.
Project
Affordable Palace
Affordable Palace turns the royal palace into a co-living development as an innovative solution to London’s housing crisis. With its 775 rooms and 79 bathrooms the population density is not representative of the rest of London, and Bucking Palace is waiting for repurposing. Private single and double bedrooms open on to shared dining and living rooms, in one huge co-living system to accommodate 50.0000 people.
https://www.oppositeoffice.com/affordablebuckinghampalace/
