19/07/2022: Internship at BHSF Zurich

We are hiring interns! We are looking for an intern in our office in Zurich, starting September 2022 or by

03.05.2022: BHSF auf dem 2 Platz in Bielefeld!

BHSF together with Städtebaumanufaktur, Munich and NMM [Nicole M. Meier] Landschaftsarchitektur, Munich wins 2nd place in the urban planning-landscape planning

Umnutzung Kaserne "Rochdale Barracks" in Bielefeld, 2. Rang

The urban context of the Rochdale Barracks is characterized by typological diversity, greening, mixed use, and a self-evident spatial orientation.

9.10.2021: Surprise!

When we are mentioned in the Zurich street magazine “Surprise”, we are of course very happy! Ben was interviewed as

Arealentwicklung Sonnenhof, Bülach

We approached the task with the idea to preserve the existing and well-preserved shopping center from the 1960s, in contrast

Zentrumszone Niederhasli

Together with Lorenz Eugster, APC, WAM Ingenieure, EK Energiekonzepte and Bänziger Partner, BHSF wins the study contract “Zentrumzone Bahnhof Niederhasli”.

09/09/2021: BHSF wins 1st prize in Niederhasli!

1st prize in the urban development competition in Niederhasli, Canton Zurich, for BHSF with Lorenz Eugster, APC, WAM Ingenieure, EK

HB / Central Zürich 2050

Together with Metron Verkehrsplanung (lead), Gehl architects, BRYUM Landschaftsarchitekten, Zeugin Gölker Immobilienstrategien and ZHAW Institut Urban Landscape we participated in

29/06/2021: BHSF wins 1st prize in Thun!

1st prize for BHSF with Haag Landschaftsarchitektur, Lorenz Kocher, Itten Brechbühl and EK Energiekonzepte in Thun. Another example of how

11.6.2021: Kulturzeit und DLF

Entwicklung Mühleweiher, Meggen

BHSF participated in the test planning Mühleweiher in Meggen near Lucerne. The results are still confidential.

Zentrumspark, Dielsdorf

In the village center of the municipality of Dielsdorf, development and densification are to be made possible. To this end,

Verdichtung Zentrum Au, Wädenswil

The subject of the test planning was the design for the center of the district of Au. It attempts to

Verdichtung Bethlehem West, Bern

The city of Berne will  be densified in the next decades. To understand where this densification can take place in

Reinvention Schadaugärtnerei, Thun

The study commission dealt with speculations about the future of the Schadaugärtnerei at the shores of Lake Thun. With their

Street development, Zurich

Based on an in-depth study, BHSF were commissioned to study a street in Zurich spatially-typologically and to make recommendations for

30/09/2020: BHSF wins 2nd rank in the competition Rüschlikon Bahnhof Süd

After a long procedure, including a revision of two projects, our team with Markus Elmiger Architekten and STUDIOZURICH finished 2nd

Rüschlikon Bahnhof Süd, 2nd Rang rank

BIM @ BHSF

Digitization is shaping more and more areas of life as well as jobs – including the construction industry. Here, especially BIM (Building Information Modeling) has a huge influence. At the same time, it is still essential for our understanding of architecture to work with physical models, materials, and the classic hand-drawn sketch. We are therefore continuously exploring the use of digital methods and instruments in combination with analogue working methods and are expanding our know-how in this area with each project. In doing so, we always pursue the goal of sounding out and exploiting the potential of digitalisation for the design process and project management.

Every project is different, there are no general solutions. Therefore, as an office, we constantly engage in a discourse on the design of internal and external processes and on the use of digital and analogue instruments. The focus is always on the search for team constellations and procedures that are specific and optimally designed for the success of the project.

Example Güterstrasse 8: BIM as an instrument and work on the model

The Güterstrasse 8 conversion in Berne is characterised by an extraordinary spatial complexity combined with a large building volume. For

Gelateria Bottrop

The Italian ice-cream parlor (“Eiscafé”) is one of the most common and celebrated urban amenities in the German-speaking part of

27/09/2019: BHSF @ OPEN HOUSE NIGHT

We will give a short presentation of our project Güterstrasse 8 in Bern during Open House Night in Zurich. More

13/9/2019: BHSF @ XII International Architecture Biennale of São Paulo

We, a collective of two university chairs and an architecture firm and with the financial aid of the RWTH Aachen,

Schwamendinger Dreieck, Baufeld B, Zürich-Schwamendingen, Switzerland

The plot occupies a special position in the context of Schwamendingen. On the one hand, it represents the conclusion of

18/6/2019: Axel Humpert & Tim Seidel @ Dienstagsreihe Coburg

From March until the end of June 2019 the architecture students of the Coburg university of applied siences and arts

30/4/2019: Axel Humpert @ FH Dortmund

Evening of short lectures and exhibition opening on housing experiments of the 1960s and 70s at the FH Dortmund. 30th

18/3/2019: Industrial building in Bremgarten published in yearbook 2019 of Schweizer Baudokumentation

Link to publisher…

Güterstrasse 8, Berne

The transformation of the former warehouse of the Tobler Chocolate Factory is the geometrical and conceptual centre of the urban

16/1/2019: Placement in Viererfeld/Mittelfeld competition

The interdisciplinary team around BHSF has achieved several placements in the competition “Arealentwicklung Viererfeld/Mittelfeld” in Berne, Switzerland. In a highly

City expansion Viererfeld/Mittelfeld, Bern, 3rd/3rd/6th rank

The development of the Viererfeld and Mittelfeld sites in Berne represent the city’s biggest expansion in the past two decades.

23/11/2018: Vernissage of "Dichtelust"

BHSF is taking part in the exhibition “Dichtelust” in the Swiss Architecture Museum in Basel. It will be opened on

24/10/2018: Markus Schietsch at BHSF

11/10/2018: Esther Mathis // Axel Humpert @ Le Foyer

LE FOYER – IN PROCESS travels to current places of the contemporary art scene to talk with artists and their guests

5/10/2018: DAM Architectural Book Award for "The Noise Landscape"

The book “The Noise Landscape” has won an DAM Architectural Book Award 2018 and is thus one of the ten

12/9/2018: EMI at BHSF

(Talk in German) In der Reihe “Eraser” ist am 12.9. Christian Müller Inderbitzin (EMI Architekten) bei uns zu Gast. Er

10/9/2018: Completion Haus Fuchs

After one year on site we’ve completed our project at lake Zurich. With our intervention and fantastic clients we managed

Haus Fuchs

After one year on site we’ve completed our project at lake Zurich. With our intervention and fantastic clients we managed

23/8/2018: Contribution to "Städtebau der Normalität"

We are happy to have contributed to the book “Städtebau der Normalität”, published with DOM publishers. More information on the

23/8/2018: Appointment to the TU Munich

In October 2018, Benedikt Boucsein will be appointed Professor for Urban Design at the TU Munich. We are looking forward

22/8/2018: Mijong at BHSF

(lecture in German language) «Die andere Welt», so wird das Rhonetal oft von Besuchern bezeichnet. In diesem Vortrag definieren wir diesen

20/6/2018: "Schweizweit" exhibition opening in Hamburg

This summer, the AIT Architektursalon Hamburg will present the “Schweizweit” exhibition of the Swiss Architecture Museum. The exhibition will be

30/5/2018: paint it black

(Lecture in German Language) Am 30.5.2018 werden wir Reto Pfenninger und Tiago Sampaio bei den Werkstattgesprächen zu Gast haben. Unter dem

9/5/2018: Der Entwurf als gemeinsames Palimpsest

(lecture in German) Unserer Arbeitsweise entsprechend werden die meisten Spuren, die zu einem Projekt geführt haben, im Laufe der Zeit ausradiert

18/4/2018: nyx architectes at BHSF

NYX architectes will speak in the lecture series “Eraser” – the title of the talk is “A contextual story”. The

Architekt/in als BIM-Koordinator (ArchiCAD)

Ab Mai 2018 oder nach Vereinbarung suchen wir zur Verstärkung unseres Teams eine/n Architekt/in für die Realisierung eines grossen, mischgenutzten Umnutzungs- und Aufstockungsprojekts mit vielfältigen Wohnformen sowie Kultur- und Gewerbenutzungen auf dem Areal der ehemaligen Kehrichtverbrennungsanlage Warmbächliweg in Bern.

Als Architekt/in (ETH / Uni / FH) verfügen Sie bereits über mehrjährige Berufserfahrung, vorzugsweise in der Schweiz. Sie bringen sowohl ausgezeichnete konzeptionell-entwerferische als auch technisch-konstruktive Kenntnisse mit und haben ein Verständnis für deren gegenseitige Wechselwirkungen. Zudem haben Sie umfangreiche Erfahrung in der Planung und Umsetzung von anspruchsvollen Projekten in BIM mit ArchiCAD.

Sie bearbeiten Themenkomplexe selbstständig und zielorientiert und sind in der Lage technische, konstruktive, funktionale und typologische Aspekte eines Projekts sicher zu ordnen und in prägnanten Räumen umzusetzen. Sie sind motiviert und belastbar, bringen sich gerne in einem Projektteam aktiv ein und kommunizieren sicher mit externen Projektbeteiligten. Ihre ArchiCAD-Kenntnisse befähigen Sie, die Rolle eines BIM-Koordinators auszufüllen und die Verantwortung für das BIM-Modell eines komplexen Projekts zu übernehmen. Sie koordinieren den internen Arbeitsprozess, definieren BIM-Anforderungen und Work-Flows, pflegen das digitale Modell und entwickeln es proaktiv weiter.

Ausserdem übernehmen Sie zukünftig die Führung bei der Implementierung und Entwicklung von BIM-Prozessen im gesamten Büro. Sie entwickeln Template-Dateien, CAD-Standards und Manuals weiter. Sie begleiten und schulen die Mitarbeiter projektübergreifend und sorgen so für die Verankerung von CAD-/BIM-Knowhow.

Sehr gute Kenntnisse in Bildbearbeitung, Grafik und Projektadministration sowie deutsche Sprachkenntnisse setzen wir als selbstverständlich voraus.

Wir bieten eine informelle, aber professionelle Arbeitsatmosphäre, die Möglichkeit, an einem aussergewöhnlichen Projekt prägend mitzuarbeiten, sowie die Perspektive, langfristig an verantwortungsvoller Position in unserem Büro tätig zu sein und so dessen weitere Entwicklung mitzugestalten.

Bitte senden Sie Ihre Bewerbungsunterlagen mit Lebenslauf und Arbeitsproben per Email an:
info (at) bhsf.ch

16/3/2018: Camenzind Release in the Kunsthalle Zürich

On Friday, March 16th 2018, Camenzind #19 will be released – it will be the last issue of our magazine.

7/3/2018: Lütjens Padmanabhan at BHSF

“Curiosity killed the cat” Als wir uns selbstständig machten, begriffen wir, wie ausgesetzt und alleine wir als Architekten heute sind. Wir

5/3/2018: Award for "The Noise Landscape"

The book “The Noise Landscape” has been chosen as one of the 33 Best Dutch Book Designs. A panel of professional

16/2/2018: Completion commercial building Bremgarten

The second part of the plant in Bremgarten AG is finished and we got some very nice shots of the

2-3/11/2017: Symposium "Aerial Futures", Los Angeles

BHSF takes part at the Symposium “Aerial Futures” in Los Angeles. Theme of the Symposium is the future of aviation

Eraser

In the tenth series of the BHSF office talks, we will talk about the architectural project. Freely based on the

Proposal Swiss Pavilion, Venice

“Afield – In der Ferne” In Relation zur ihrer geografischen Ausdehnung und Einwohnerzahl ist der globale Einfluss der Schweiz erstaunlich gross:

Agrarcampus Jamu Mare, Romania

In the coming decades, ecological food production will become an increasingly important issue – on a global scale. It will become a necessity for agricultural reasons, because of market demand, and because it is beneficial for general health. At the same time, rural regions around the world will fundamentally be impacted by climate change, with unforeseeable results. It is this wider context that forms the background for the Jamu Mare project in the Banat region in western Romania.

The site, consisting of approximately 1000 ha of agricultural land, presently already serves ecological farming purposes. However, the site is underutilized and in need of modernization. A family from Switzerland has discovered the village of Jamu Mare and the large site south of it and decided to invest into its future. The vision of the family aims not only at the modernization and professionalization of the agricultural production, which includes wine, lucerne, grass-cover ley and winter wheat, and later on cattle, pig and horse production. It also includes a long-term investment into agricultural education in cooperation with the Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Timisoara. In addition to this, national and international tourists are to be drawn to the site, primarily because of the wine production. Thus, the project is a chance to turn Jamu Mare into a model for the rural future that is to come in the 21st century.

The project has started in fall 2017 and is in constant evolution. We have been commissioned with the urbanistic design of the site, but also with the architectural implementation. In addition, we pursue the goal of extending the scope of the project to the village of Jamu Mare and, subsequently, to the surrounding villages as well. We view the project as an example of the emerging discipline of Rural Design, a discipline that is dedicated to a holistic view of climate, local building culture, agriculture and architectural design.

Industrial and office building, Bremgarten

In an industrial area at the edge of the city of Bremgarten, an area that has incrementally grown during the

Densification Vordere Breite, Schaffhausen

With an interdiscipinary team, BHSF took part in the test planning of the “Vordere Breite” area in Schaffhausen. Our proposal

7/9/2017: House Peacock shortlisted for Stephen Lawrence Prize

After being awarded with a RIBA National Award, House Peacock is one of six projects shortlisted for the Stephen Lawrence

28/8/2017: Book "The Noise Landscape" released

The book “The Noise Landscape” is published in September 2017 by nai010 publishers. The publication extensively documents the noise-affected surroundings

The Noise Landscape. A Spatial Exploration of Airports and Cities

Aircraft noise is heard over a large territory, across heterogeneous urban areas and landscapes, and in multiple municipalities, provinces, even

Unsolicited application

Even if there are not always open positions in our office, we would be thrilled to receive inspiring spontaneous applications.

House Peacock, Aldeburgh

House Peacock is located on the outskirts of a small seaside town in Suffolk in a residential area, typically consisting

Josef Albers Museum, Bottrop

Die Anlage des Josef Albers Museums mit dem Museum für Ur- und Ortsgeschichte befindet sich inmitten des für die Stadt

30/09/2016: Office building in Bremgarten is near completion

Our project for an office building in Bremgarten for JELD-WEN is now near completion. The scaffolding is being removed and the final works on the interior will be finished soon.

Brisgi, Baden

Das Brisgi-Areal hat seine Wurzeln in der Nachkriegszeit. Als die grossen Industrien expandierten, fanden die Arbeiter in den Kernstädten immer

Barracks Area conversion, Frauenfeld

The goal of the urban design ideas competition was to find urban and architectural ideas how to use the structures

Health Campus, Lausanne

The theme of the competition was a mixed- use development for a Health Campus in Lausanne. We chose an approach of creating a range of climatic zones, ranging from outside spaces over greenhouse-like in-between areas to regularly heated rooms in the centre of the buildings. In the lower part, big building blocks are created, while the part towards the forest is more open.

Architects

Ab dem 1. Juli 2017 suchen wir zur Verstärkung unseres Teams eine/n Projektarchitekt/in für die Ausführung eines Umbauprojekts für ein grosszügiges Einfamilienhaus in der Nähe von Zürich.

Als Architekt/in (ETH/Uni/FH) verfügen Sie bereits über Berufserfahrung in Projektierung und Ausführung, vorzugsweise in der Schweiz. Sie bringen sowohl ausgezeichnete konzeptionell-entwerferische als auch technisch-konstruktive Kenntnisse mit und haben ein Verständnis für deren gegenseitige Wechselwirkungen.

Sie bearbeiten Themenkomplexe selbstständig und zielorientiert und sind in der Lage technische, konstruktive, funktionale und typologische Aspekte eines Projekts sicher zu ordnen und in prägnanten Räumen umzusetzen. Sie sind motiviert und belastbar, bringen sich gerne in einem Projektteam aktiv ein und kommunizieren sicher mit externen Projektbeteiligten. Wir erwarten sehr gute Software-Kenntnisse in ArchiCAD, den gängigen Anwendungen in Bildbearbeitung, Grafik und Administration sowie sehr gute deutsche Sprachkenntnisse

Wir bieten eine informelle, aber professionelle Arbeitsatmosphäre, die Möglichkeit, ein aussergewöhnliches Projekt bis zur Fertigstellung zu leiten, sowie die Perspektive, langfristig an verantwortungsvoller Position in unserem Büro tätig zu sein und so dessen weitere Entwicklung  mitzugestalten.

Bitte senden Sie Ihre Bewerbungsunterlagen mit Lebenslauf und Arbeitsproben per Email an: info(at)bhsf.ch

Total Recall

In the series “Total Recall”, we will talk about our guests’ places of origin. Only few people that live and work

Densification of an urban quarter, Zurich

As part of the work on the municipal structure plan for settlement, landscape, public buildings and facilities, the city of

Housing Complex, Winkel

The competition brief called for a transformation of the existing housing complex Tüfwis in Winkel, near the airport of Zurich.

Exhibition in Rotterdam

At the IABR (International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam), “The next economy” is dealt with in an exhibition and a number of

Inner-city living, Zurich, 3rd rank

The competition brief represents a typical case for the inner densification of Zurich that is presently strongly discussed. Also, the

Exhibition in the M:AI Gelsenkirchen

From October 18th to November 8th 2015, the exhibition “Vorstellung. Junge Schweizer Architekten” will take place in Gelsenkirchen. It is

Area development, Speicher

Subject of the competition was a currently vacant site in Speicher, canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden. The site is owned by the municipality and will be provided for a residential development – a typical “urban sprawl task” in the agglomeration of St. Gallen.

As a spine of the development, we suggested a vertically oriented internal space that allows easy orientation for residents and guests. It also releases the view into the countryside and the village in regular intervals, in particular towards the village church. The buildings are arranged so that the views for individual apartments is optimized. Also, the buildings also are grouped into individual “homesteads”, improving identification for the inhabitants with their living environment and creating an address that is easy to find for visitors.

The design works with the three different typological principles Townhouse, Apartment, and Duplex apartments with studios. The focus is on family-friendly forms of housing. The bases of all buildings are constructed in solid concrete. The upper floors are clad in a horizontally structured facade of prefabricated wooden elements alluding to local building traditions.

Intern

We are looking for an intern in our office in Zurich, starting from June 1st 2018 or by arrangement to work on building projects, competitions and studies ranging from the architectural to the urban scale.

The internship should last at least six months. Requirements are at least two years of architectural studies, high proficiency in drawing in CAD, image editing and graphic design, as well as good model making techniques. We expect precision, good communicative skills, proactive work, and the willingness to make an own contribution in a small and personal team.

Please send your application papers together with a cv and samples of your work to info (at) bhsf.ch

Projektleiter/in

The Transporter

„Transportation is a precise business.” (from Transporters 3) In the eighth series of the BHSF office talks, we are interested

24/2/2015: Kamenzind/Camenzind nominated for Swiss Art Award

Camenzind and its sister magazine in Belgrade, Kamenzind, have been nominated for the Swiss Art Award 2015 in the category “Communication of Architecture”. The Jury and exhibition will take place in June 2015.

Urban densification Meinen-Area, Berne, 2nd rank

New Center Leutschenbach, Zurich, 10th Rank

For the dense 50’000 sqm development, the competition brief called for a differntiated, urban environment – but it was to

Quellengarten, Aarau

The housing cooperative Graphis announced a competition for a new development according to MINERGIE-P-ECO standards with in total 39 apartments

Development Plan, Berne

After winning the Ideas competition in 2012, BHSF and Christian Salewski were commissioned with working out a development plan for the site. After having completed the first part, which will serve as a basis for submissions to potential developers, the second step will be taken by the end of 2014. The urban planning document is supported by more detailed studies about Landscape, the existing Güterstrasse 8 building, and Infrastructure.

On the site of around 22’000 sqm, 500-600 people will live and a further 200-250 people work upon completion. In total, 40’000 square meters of floor space will be realised on the site, which corresponds to a utilisation factor of 1.8. This means that the area will be built up with approximately double the density of the surrounding neighbourhoods. To serve this increased population, a supermarket as well as a kindergarten will also be realised. Currently, the former waste incineration plant is due for demolition.

A building that was originally not part of the waste incineration site will be re-used – the former storehouse of the Tobler Chocolate Factory, built in 1966. The high, deep spaces of this robustly constructed building have ideal preconditions for an uncomplicated transformation. Its upper storeys will mainly be converted into apartments in a large variety of types.

All buildings are grouped around a central courtyard. It will be enlivened both by the inhabitants of the area and the quarter, continuing the logic of the broad, mixed-use streets that can be found in the neighbouring industrial area.

Eight Theses on Architecture

1. The language of the city is grey, and it differs from city to city. Out of this language, the ‘point of origin’ is found, to

Exhibition in the Swiss Architecture Museum

In 2014, the Swiss Architecture Museum in Basel (S AM) celebrates its 30th anniversary. The exhibition “Orientations”, curated by S

Expendable(s)

(1) expendable = disposable, unimportant, superfluous, dispensable, excess (2) The Expendables, USA 2010, Director: Sylvester Stallone, Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stratham,

Sauna On Wheels

Right in time for the cold snap: The “Sauna On Wheels” was put up in a private garden with direct acces

"Towards a Productive Relationship between Society and Architectural Practice: An Approach"

Taking a closer look, the identity crisis that emerged around the turn of the last century of architecture as a

Inner-City Living, Berne, 1st rank

In the future about 600 people will live, and about 250 people will work, on the site of the recently

Restaurant, Bremgarten

This project is part of the wider revitalization of an airfield in southwestern Germany. Besides the construction of a new

Urban Manufacturing / Manufacturing the Urban

In the context of the international congress reart:theurban ( www.rearttheurban.org ), Zurich-based entrepreneurs, supported by local architects, have transformed their

Exhibition "Magazine Library", Tokyo

Camenzind is part of the 10th “Magazine Library”. Since its launch in March of 2009 the travelling ‘Magazine Library’ exhibitions have

School and Kindergarten, Mühleberg

The  school complex Mühleberg in Allenlüften is continued volumetrically, and the already heterogeneous group of characteristic roofs added to. Since children in Kindergarten and Primary School need “caves” (Hans Scharoun) that offer warmth and clarity, each group is offered such a space. They are accessed by individual cloakrooms, which further strengthens the sense that these are“caves”. The cloakrooms also serve as an acoustic barrier between classroom and hall. The floor plan enables a multitude of room configurations, and the building can also be adapted to changing long-term requirements.

The balconies expand the classroom space into the exterior and offer space to play, tinker and plant. The balconies also serve as a fire escape, shade the interior and cover the Kindergarten area on the ground floor. Energy consumption of the building is reduced through the compact volume and the avoidance of thermal bridges. Sun energy is collected passively by the façade and actively by photovoltaic panels. The generous windows also enable optimal use of daylight for the classes. Natural lighting is steered over sensors and supplemented by artificial lighting. Using these kinds of energy saving structures, radiators can be omitted.

Due to the special form of the roof, rainwater flow is concentrated in a few points. This combines with the rectangular form of the courtyard, which results in a roof geometry that creates a dialogue with the other roofs of the complex. The roof is also reminiscent of the distant Jura mountains.

Aircraft Hangar, Bremgarten

The site for the new hangar is a small airport in southern Germany. It stands in direct proximity to buildings

Loft, Zurich

In an apartment building from the 19th century, situated on the slopes above the Main Station, the attic was extended

Swiss Art Award for Communication of Architecture, Basel

The Swiss Federal Award for Art is the oldest and most renowned art competition in Switzerland. It was awarded for

Ghostbusters

From June 30th, 2012 until January 1st, 2013, the sixth series of the BHSF office talks will take place. The

Exhibition "Archizines", London

5.11.2011-14.12.2011, Architectural Association, 36 Bedford Square, London (GB), Front Member’s room. As one of 60 Magazines, Camenzind takes part in the

Research project, Dortmund

The research project “Urbanism of Normality – On the reconstruction of urban quarters in the Ruhr Region” will take place

"A new age for East Africa's Architecture"

Essay in German language.

"Hard hat and Cloud Cockoo Land"

Essay in German language.

Camenzind #9 / ANZA #1

The ninth issue of Camenzind was issued in fall 2011, together with a local team in Dar es Salaam/Tansania under

Embassy, Nairobi

The proposed building divides the plot’s uneven geometry into courtyard and garden as well as a circulation part outside of the perimeter. Through the position of the entrances, person flows as well as the representative sequence are subdivided in a functional and simple way. To coherently  integrate the building, which is in most parts a functional office building, into the parklike landscape, a hybrid type is proposed: A “working villa” with two stories over a plinth which is partly integrated into the soil. The underlying order, which is economical and strict, is integrated with nature and park through a second layer.

Workshop, Dar es Salaam

Due to the major growth of its cities, East Africa is facing serious urban and architectural challenges. Congestion, illegal construction,

Teaching and Type

In recent years, the conditions of architectural production have changed radically. Architectural education is supposed to prepare the future architects

Walk, Essen

24.9.2012, Start at the Forum Kunst und Architektur, Essen (D) 14.00. During a two-hour architecture walk, the “Grey Architecture” of Essen’s city centre will be examined. This Grey Architecture of the 1950s and 1960s is very important for the image of German Cities, yet despite its ubiquity it has not been treated extensively in criticism and research. This is surprising, since these buildings represent a huge proportion of the buildings being renovated and are intriguing structures in many ways.

Renovation single-family home, Zurich

Situated on the Zürichberg and erected around 1940, the single-family home has later been extended in two stages. Nevertheless, since

True Lies

From June 29th, 2011 until March 16th, 2012, the sixth series of the BHSF office talks will take place. In

Inner-city living, Stuttgart, 6th rank

Through its characteristic perimeter blocks composed of freestanding buildings, Stuttgart’s Western part obtains its unique and consistent character. To relate

Camenzind #8

Articles in english: – Another Shitty Day in Paradise (Foreign Architects Switzerland) – Zurich, Prostitution Paradise? (OMNIBUS) – Japanese in Switzerland (Souhei Imamura) Articles

Foyer Building, Hamburg, 1st rank

MAN has had a factory presence at the Hachmann pier since the beginning of the 20th century. This area is

Parking Garage, Wiesbaden, 1st Prize

Wiesbaden’s historic centre is one of the few city cores in Germany that was not severely damaged during World War

"On restraining individual creativity"

Essay in German language.

Workshop, Dar es Salaam

In 2010 a workshop dealing with the city structure of Dar es Salaam was undertaken over a period of two weeks. It was hosted by the Goethe Institute in Dar and organized by the Institute for International Urbanism at the TU Stuttgart and led by Gunter Klix, Annika Seifert and Benedikt Boucsein. The main themes discussed amongst a group of local participants and architecture students from Stuttgart were infrastructure, actors and architecture.

Campus, Giessen

The technical college of Giessen-Friedberg will be renamed ‘The Institute of Technology Mittelhessen’ in the near future and aims to establish itself in the international field. For this, the campus is to be renovated and expanded. Since the renovation will take place during a general service, the existing buildings are to be the starting point of the urban concept. Great care was given to make sure that not only the final result, but also intermediate results would have good urban qualities. These building’s volumes are kept compact and economical, and parking spaces are positioned below the buildings, thus keeping the sealed surface small. Biking and walking are encouraged through the landscape with designated routes and the positioning of bicycle stands.

Back to the Future

From April 13th, 2010 until January 18th, 2011, the fourth series of the BHSF office talks will take place. During the

Renovation multi-family home, Zurich

The multi-family house from the 1950s had undergo a major modernization. Kitchens and bathrooms and staircase had to be modernized,

Grey Architecture. Building in postwar western Germany

The West German Grey Architecture of the 1950s and 1960s has had a decisive impact on how German cities look,

Villa, Udligenswil

For the modernization of the single family home, a transformation of the house’s character into the present is proposed. The entrance, which presently is very cramped, is to be upgraded by moving the stairs into the interior and minimally modifying the position of the kitchen and the guest restroom. Through the introduction of skylights, the bedroom area is given an individual character. Dressing room and bathroom are united to form a generous area, separated through a glass pane.

In the back part of the house, a patio is added, which upgrades the working area in a relevant way, creating a concentrated and private atmosphere. A room lying further back into the slope can be used as a guest room or a home cinema and is equipped with an own bathroom. Since the building is normally accessed directly by car, the basement is upgraded as well.

Camenzind #7

Articles in english: A duck is not a city – Christian Salewski On the turn of architecture – Tim Kammasch Words in Postwar

Cultural Centre, Gstaad, 3rd Prize

The new cultural centre, situated beside the Palace Hotel, is set to be the new architectural landmark of Gstaad. The

City Museum, Kassel

The extension of the museum clarifies the postition of the building within its urban environment. The angulated disposition of the

Multi-family house, Zurich

Planing and realization of a multi-story dwelling with 4 units in Zurich. Completed at the end of 2010. private commission Preconditions

Hope

From May 29th, 2009 until January 12th, 2010, the third series of the BHSF office talks will take place.  The

Exibition hall and administration, Düsseldorf

The new headquarter for the korean company Doosan in Düsseldorf-Monheim is situated directly at the banks of the river Rhine. The project is clearly divided into the exhibition hall for construction machinery and the administration in the upper two floors facing the Rhine. The office space is organized around two courtyards. The conference rooms are situated in the back of the administration on the first floor, visually connected to the exhibition hall by large windows.

City extension, Dietikon, Honourable Mention

Moving to an area like the Niderfeld, the suburbanite usually looks for four important features: a) a garden to sit

Camenzind #6

Content: Schiffe im Mond – Robert Schulze Die Schweiz wird zerstört Interview mit Hans Kollhoff – Weltwoche L`idea dellella citta – Anna Weber Kennt

Public Buildings, Vaduz

The project absorbs the dense structure of the surrounding development. The generous staircase within establishes a constant relationship to the town hall of Vaduz on the opposite side of the main square.
The office floors are double loaded, divided by a generous corridor. According to the alignment and the exposition of the building the depth of the office space varies. The optimized service core is situated in the shaded east part of the floors. This compact layout allows the highest possible flexibility and the abandonment, from the energy point of view, of the suboptimal recessed floor.

Die Hardstrasse

From August 26th, 2008 until March 10th, 2009, the second series of the BHSF office talks will take place.

Grey Architecture

Grey Architecture – defined in this thesis for the first time – stands for the everyday architecture that was produced

Interview with Felix Claus

Interview in German language.

Appartment blocks, St. Gallen, 2nd Rank

The scheme for the residential development on the outskirts of the inner city of St. Gallen integrates harmonically with the

Extension, Essen

The existing building is situated in the centre of a mid-size former industrial park, now a business park owned by the client. The scheme aims at not only an extension of office space but also the revaluation of the whole enssemble. The two additional floors were conceived as the figurehead of the “Alexanderpark”.
An costly change in the existing structure would not be necessary as it was originally designed for much heavier loads. The extension is a steel construction with a jutted curtain wall.

Dental Practise, Duisburg

Since the late 70s Dr. Popov has been working as a dentist in Duisburg Wanheim. In the next few years

Renovation apartment building, Zurich

The apartment building comprises of five flats as well as a generous roof terrace with a beautiful view of the

Gymnasium, Garching

It is assumed that the new gymnasium in Garching will play a fundamental role in the city’s public life as it is shared by the local sports clubs, almost all schools and individual citizens. Therefore the design clearly focused on the creation of a public building and site that reflects its importance to the city. The design of the landscape was very important to the success of the whole project.

The prefabricated steel framework is screwed onto the bedplate in a conventional span width, whereas the big span width of the sports hall is bridged by trussed beams. The stiffening is done by the floor slabs and the cladding.

Walk, Zurich

Seeking to conduct an unusual architecture walk, BHSF, in collaboration with David Ganzoni, worked out a tour through the re- and unbuilt Zurich. The walk  focused mainly on projects near the lake. LOOK! YOU CANNOT SEE IT, IT’S NOT THERE! was an experimental way of examining the city from another angle. In spring 2005, a group of students and professors from the architecture academy of Arnhem was led through the city to the sites of non-existent buildings for which only postcards of the projects served as souvenirs.

Sneg Idjot

From November 15th, 2007 until March 15th, 2008, the first series of the BHSF office talks will take place.

Talks by BHSF

12.6.2012, TU Darmstadt, 6 pm “Dienstag Abend Club” 13.12.2011, Architekturforum, Berne (CH) 7 pm 1.12.2011, Architekturforum, Zurich (CH) 7pm 14.9.2011, Architekturforum, Zurich (CH)

Camenzind #5

Content: Berlin vollendet – Nele Dechmann, Adrian König, Rebecca Lehmann Mehr Grössenwahn – Stefan Kurath Grr – Anna Weber Camenzind Homestory – Marion Maisano,

Festival Hall, Trin, 2nd Prize

The gymnasium in Trin is revaluated by extending the existing building with a stage and a foyer, turning it into

Camenzind #4

Content: Karl K.: Ich war ein Massy – Anonym Die zarte Elena und ihr «Makedonischer Helm» – Ludmila Priogova Meditativer Minimalismus – Hans

Camenzind #3

First of all, admittedly our title is stolen from the „Auto Tuning Magazine“ – the centerfold is meant as a

Camenzind #2

Content: Morskoj Promenad, Selenagradsk – Markus Podehl Stadt mit Mauer – Annika Seifert Das Schattenzentrum – Benedikt Boucsein Das Blob-Problem – Matthias Uhr Form und

Camenzind #1

Content: Architektur und Langeweile – Markus Podehl Knochenmeditation – Nazario Branca Müssen Architekten nie? – Philipp Stubenrauch Karten zeichnen – Anna Weber Housefucking, ein Interview

Office

BHSF is an architectural partnership based in Zurich and Munich that practices architecture and urbanism. It is the aim of the office to work in the full breadth of both of these fields, in practical as well as theoretical respects, in competitions as well as the everyday tasks, and on all scales.

Up to now BHSF has completed a dental practice in Duisburg, a multi-family house and multiple renovations and extensions in Zurich, a single-family house in Aldeburgh/UK, and an airplane hangar in Southern Germany. Current projects include a production hall in the Canton of Aargau, a villa in Zollikon as well as the transformation of the former waste incineration plant in Berne into a quarter for living and working. Since the foundation in 2005, BHSF has had success in several competitions, most notably the first prize for the parking garage in Wiesbaden.

Besides practical design and building activity, office talks on a broad range of subjects are held regularly in the office. BHSF is also active in teaching and research at the FHNW in Basel and the TU Munich.

Presently our team consists of 13 persons. You’ll find some of them in this gallery.

Projects

Currently planned/in realization:

– Villa, Zollikon (2016-2018)

– Renovation, Küsnacht (2014-2018)

– Mixed-use building Güterstrasse, Berne (2017-)

 

Built projects:

– Commercial Building Jeld Wen, Bremgarten (2014-2017)

– Villa Peacock, Suffolk (UK) (2014-2016)

– Airplane Hangar near Freiburg (D) (2010-2012)

– Loft extension, Zurich (2011-2012)

– Several Renovations in Zurich (2008-2012 )

– Renovation Zürichberg Villa, Zurich (2011)

– Multi-family home in Zurich (2009-2010)

– Renovation of a dental practice, Duisburg (D) (2009)

 

Competition Awards:

– Study Commission Meinen-Area, Berne, 2nd Rank (2015)

– New Center Leutschenbach, Zurich, 10th Prize (2015)

– Warmbächliweg area, Berne, First Prize, 2012

– Olga area, Stuttgart (D), Ex-aequo Sixth Prize, 2011

– MAN reception Building, Hamburg (D), First Prize, 2011

– Parking garage Coulinstrasse, Wiesbaden (D), First Prize, 2011

– Cultural centre „Les Arts“, Gstaad, Ex-aequo Third Prize, 2010

– Europan 10, Dietikon, Honorable Mention, 2010

– Untere Ruckhalde, St. Gallen, Second Prize, 2008

– Multi-purpose hall, Trin, Second Prize, 2008

 

Position Papers:

– “Eight Theses on Architecture” (2014)

– “Towards a Productive Relationship between Society and Architectural Practice: An Approach”(2012)

– “Hard hat and Cloud Cockoo Land – Concrete Utopia as an Approach” (german, 2012)

– On Restraining Individual Creativity (german, 2010)

– Interview with Felix Claus (german, 2009)

 

Awards:

– Shortlist Stephen Lawrence Prize, 2017

– RIBA National Award, 2017

– RIBA East Award 2017

– Honorable Mention Zumtobel Group Award 2012 (with Camenzind)

– Swiss Federal Award for Communication of Architecture 2012 (with Jeanette Beck)

– Nomination Swiss Federal Award 2010 (with Jeanette Beck)

 

Exhibitions:

– «Ins Land aus Land. Swiss Architects abroad», Swiss Architecture Museum Basel, 2017

– «Schweizweit», Swiss Architecture Museum Basel, 2016-2017

– International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (NL), 2016

– «Vorstellung. Junge Schweizer Architekten», M:AI Museum für Architektur- und Ingenieurkunst, Gelsenkirchen (D) 2015

– “Orientations: Young Swiss Architects”, Swiss Architecture Museum Basel, 2014

Benedikt Boucsein

graduated in 2005 in architecture from ETH Zurich and received his PhD from the Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture (gta) at the ETH Zurich in 2008. In 2005 he co-founded Camenzind and in 2007 BHSF. In 2010, his book on “Grey Architecture” was published with Walther König in 2010. From 2007-2017 he taught and researched at the ETH Zurich. He co-authored the book “The Noise Landscape”, which was published with nai010 publishers in Rotterdam in 2017. In October 2018, he was appointed Professor for Urban Design at TU Munich. Since 2018 he has been part of several juries on the architectural and urban scale.

Axel Humpert

graduated in 2004 in architecture from ETH Zurich, after which he worked for Meili, Peter Architekten Zurich. In 2005 he co-founded Camenzind. After starting up Meili, Peter Architektens subsidiary in Munich he then returned to Switzerland in 2007 and co-founded BHSF. Besides his practical work, he worked as a Teaching Assistant at the ETH Zurich from 2007 until 2010 and still  lectures regularly and acts as a guest critic there. In 2015, he was appointed Professor for Architecture and Construction at the FHNW Muttenz.

Tim Seidel

graduated in 2005 in architecture from ETH Zurich, after which he worked as project architect and project manager for Meili, Peter Architekten in Zurich from 2006 to 2009. In 2005 he was a co-founder of Camenzind and in 2007 BHSF. In 2015, he was appointed Professor for Architecture and Construction together with Axel Humpert at the FHNW Muttenz.

Elitsa Lacaze

Elitsa Lacaze studied Architecture and Urban Design in Sofia and Hamburg. Since 2002, she worked in a number of architectural practises in Sofia, Vama and Hamburg. From 2008 to 2010 she worked as project leader in the office of Manuel Herz Architects in Basel and from 2010 to 2014 for Meili, Peter Architects in Zurich. She joined BHSF in 2015 as project leader and is member of the board.

Pascal Hendrickx

Pascal Hendrickx studied architecture at the ETH Zurich, graduating in 2011 under Prof. Dr. Marc Angélil. From 2012 to 2018 he worked as a project leader for agps architecture, where he was involved in various architectural and urban planning projects. He has been a project leader for the BHSF team since 2019.

Barbara Bergamaschi

Barbara Bergamaschi studied architecture at the IUAV in Venice, Italy and at the University of Chiba, Japan. During her studies she worked as an intern in the offices of Atelier Bow Wow in Tokio as well as Graser Troxler Architects in Zurich. After she graduated with a master from the IUAV in Venice she first joined Office Haratori Architects in Zurich before she became a member of the BHSF-Team in November 2021.

Mathias Schaub

Mathias Schaub received his bachelor degree in architecture at the ZHAW in Winterthur and his master degree at the FHNW in Basel. During his studies he spent each a semester at the CEPT University in Ahmedabad and the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería in Lima. Since 2017 he gained experience as project leader as well as construction supervisor before he joined the BHSF-Team in the summer of 2021.

Elisabetta Le

Elisabetta Le studied architecture at the IUAV in Venice, Italy where she received her Master Degree. During her studies she spent one year at the ENSAB in France where she worked on furniture projects in wood and concrete. After some work experience at Riedl Architekten in Glarus she joind BHSF in Zurich in spring 2022.

 

Grigorios Grigoriadis

Grigorios Grigoriadis studied restoration and renovation at TEI Patras as well as studying architecture at the University of Thessaly. Between 2012 and 2013 he worked as an architect in Greece. After which he completed the MAS-programe in Architecture & Information at the ETH Zürich. From 2015 to 2018 he worked for various architecture offices in Zürich. Since 2018 he has been working as a project architect and BIM-specialist at BHSF.

Caroline Pachoud

Caroline Pachoud studied at the ETH Zurich, the University of Architecture in Buenos Aires and the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. From 2009 onwards she worked for Isa Stürm & Urs Wolf, Atelier Barão-Hutter and for Peter Märkli where she was involved in a “Kunst Am Bau” project. While she was teaching at the ETH Lausanne for Professor Dieter Dietz she also realised numerous smaller projects together with artists, curators, textile designers, graphic designers and photographers. After which she worked as a research assistant for Professor Markus Peter at the ETH Zurich. She has been a part of the BHSF team since 2019.

Matthias Schneider

Matthias Schneider trained as a draughtsman before completing work experience at GWJ in Berne and Fahrni Architects in Steffisburg, He studied interior architecture at the Technikschule in Berne before completing his bachelor’s in architecture in 2018 at the FHNW in Muttenz. He has been part of the BHSF team as a project architect since 2019.

Hannes Rutenfranz

Hannes Rutenfranz studied architecture at the Bauhaus-University Weimar, the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and the ETH Zurich. From 2010 to 2013 he was a project architect and a project leader at Miroslav Šik. Between 2013 and 2018 he worked as independent architect, whilst also as a teaching assistant for Professor Miroslav Šik at the ETH Zurich. He has been part of the BHSF team since 2018.

Timo Bättig

Timo Bättig graduated from the technical school in Aarau in ‚Interior Architecture’, before which he gained experience at KMP Architektur in Wettingen during an apprenticeship as a structural draughtsman. In 2019 he completed his master’s degree in architecture at the FHNW in Basel before joining the BHSF team.

Patrick Wittneben

Patrick Wittneben studied architecture after having finished his apprenticeship as a structural draughtsman. He received his Bachelor degree from the FHNW in Muttenz in 2012 and his Matser degree from the ZHAW in Winterthur in 2015. From 2016 – 2017 he completed an advanced training course in site management and, until 2019, gained work experience in several architectural offices and as an self-employed architect. Since 2020 he works for BHSF as a project manager.

Lisa Franke

Lisa Franke studied architecture at the Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto FAUP and at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. During her studies she worked as an intern for Baixo Impacto Arquitetura in Florianópolis/ Brazil. After her graduation in 2017 she worked as an architect in Porto and completed a post graduate program in Architectural Heritage at the Universidade do Porto. Between 2019 and 2020 Lisa worked for Robbrecht en Daem architecten in Gent and for Office Haratori in Zurich. Since May 2020 she is part of the BHSF team.

Camenzind

The counterpart to the practical work of BHSF is the publication and research platform Camenzind. While BHSF concentrates its efforts on Architecture and Urbanism, Camenzind works beyond the traditional boundaries of the discipline. This is based on the conviction that the architect’s task is not limited to producing the built environment, it is also necessary for architects to reflect on and research that environment and to work towards innovative ways of changing the way that society imagines and produces the built environment around it. Consequently, Camenzind and BHSF in one sense investigate the idea of Ernst Bloch’s “Concrete Utopia”, of bringing utopian goals forward pragmatically step by step.

From 2005 to 2018, 19 issues of the Camenzind magazine appeared in print. The magazine was buried with the 19th issue. At the moment, the Camenzind platform is dormant, as we are concentrating on other projects.

Camenzind has been presented at lectures in Aachen, Berne, Vienna, Weimar, Zagreb, São Paulo and Zurich and taken part in exhibitions in London, New York, Milan, Berlin and Tokyo.

Camenzind Website

Camenzind projects on this Website

Emergence

Benedikt Boucsein, Axel Humpert and Tim Seidel met while studying architecture at the ETH in Zurich. Their first collaboration was Camenzind Magazine #1 which came out at the end of 2004. After working for other practices they founded BHSF in 2007. The first projects they realized as BHSF were a dental practice in Duisburg and a multi-family house in Zurich. These projects, as well as the prize for the parking garage Coulinstraße in Wiesbaden were key to establishing the practical foundations of the office. Camenzind, which has developed into a platform for research and publishing, has grown alongside BHSF during the past five years.

Contact

info@bhsf.ch

BHSF Architekten GmbH
Benedikt Boucsein | Axel Humpert | Tim Seidel

Geerenweg 2
CH-8048 Zürich

T +41 44 520 26 24
F +41 43 205 26 24

Rumfordstrasse 36
D-80469 Munich

T +49 89 210 22 123

Colophon

BHSF Architekten GmbH
Benedikt Boucsein | Axel Humpert | Tim Seidel

Geerenweg 2
8048 Zürich
Switzerland

Pestalozzistrasse 28
80469 Munich
Germany

Credits

Website by BASICS09

Newsletter BHSF office talks

Since its founding, BHSF has organised and hosted an ongoing lecture series that takes place in the office every three weeks. For these talks the office space morphs into an intimate auditorium with seating laid out and a projector installed, the guest speaker gives a presentation on their chosen topic and this is followed by questions from the audience. For these talks BHSF has played host to a diverse range of speakers, from architects and artists to art historians and cultural theorists to engineers and real estate experts. Each lecture series includes several nights of film screenings and concerts.

Listed chronologically the series so far have been:  Sneg Idjot (11/2007 – 5/2008) Die Hardstrasse (8/2008 – 1/2009) Hope (5/2009 – 1/2010) Back to the Future (5/2010 – 1/2011) True Lies (6/2011 – 3/2012) Ghostbusters (6/2012 – 1/2013), Expendable(s) (10/2013 – 7/2014), The Transporter (4/2015 – 4/2016), Total Recall (6/2016 – 4/2017) and Eraser (3/2018 – 12/2018).

Past Members of Staff

Hans-Lukas Fehr (Partner until 2010), Nicolas Bacci, Chantal Bekkering, Meryem Beypinar, Yunus Bogazliyanlioglu, Elettra Carnelli, Alexander Cox, Aleksandra Curcin, Annabell Daverhuth, Christian Deis, Rositsa Doneva, Beatrice Dornseifer, Daniela Heyland, Patrik Hilber, Lisa Höing, Engiin Irmak, Adrian Knöpfel, Paulo Lopes, Susanne Mangold, Teresa Maree, Ioannis Michailidis, Ivana Milojevic, Stephanie Moraña, Marc Paessens, Katrin Redweik, Lauryna Remeikyte, Lex Schaul, Jasmin Schiele, Raphael Staehelin, Anna Stallmann,  Li Tavor, Derek Thai, Udo Thönnissen, Maro Tsagka, Yannick Vorberg, Louis Wangler, Johanna Willert.

BHSF projectmail