Since 1981 the pro Ruhrgebiet association has been honouring personalities who have rendered outstanding services to the Ruhr region. The basis for this decision is a public call for entries in which a visionary for sustainable and forward-looking building from and in the Metropole Ruhr is sought.
Due to the large number of “buildings as statements of regional identity and forward-looking architecture”, the jury chaired by Helmut an de Meulen has now awarded Eckhard Gerber the honorary title of “Citizen of the Ruhr Area”.
From the pro Ruhrgebiet jury report on the Dortmunder U – Centre for Art and Creativity, the basement tower block of the former Union Brewery converted on the occasion of the Capital of Culture Year 2010: “The Dortmunder U, a symbol of modern sustainable Ruhr architecture with worldwide appeal, bears Gerber’s clear design signature, which always focuses on openness and creates places where people like to go and spend time.”

Gerber Architects wishes you and your families much joy, prosperity, happiness, success and health for the “New Chinese Year of the Ox”. We thank you for the successful cooperation in the past year and look forward to the new joint projects in the coming year. May all your wishes come true!

Visualization: © Gerber Architekten

In the metropolis of Shenzhen, southwest of Beijing, a comprehensive health complex is being built, consisting of a university area with a library, a clinic with a training centre as well as residential, leisure and sports facilities. The complex, located between a chain of hills and a river, is harmoniously integrated into the surrounding landscape. In the interplay of topography and architecture, landscape elements flow into the concept in the form of a green base storey and façade greening. The U-shape of the individual building areas creates varied outdoor spaces and a loosened-up internal structure. Through this network of relationships between interior and exterior space, the health complex contributes to the well-being of staff and patients.

Visualization: © Gerber Architekten

15 architectural and landscape architecture firms took part in the “Bürgercampus Stadt Ahlen” realisation competition. Now Gerber Architekten has won first place in the Europe-wide competition, followed by two third places.
The design interlocks the course of the Werse and the historic city wall edge to create an elongated, angled structure. This leaves enough space for a riverside promenade and an urban forecourt. From there, the building opens up to both the city and the river side. The narrow building cubature is divided into three sections of different heights. On the roof of the middle three-storey section there is a green roof terrace that affords an unobstructed view of the old town, the city park and the Werse and underlines the permeability of the town house. Energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness are key features of the design. The necessary above-ground parking spaces are harmoniously incorporated into the design of the outdoor facilities.

Visualization: © Gerber Architekten

As part of the “Junge Planer” event organised by the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Architects, a digital house call at Gerber Architekten took place. In a Zoom conference, graduates and students were able to gain an insight into the premises and everyday working life of our Dortmund office. Prof. Eckhard Gerber, Benjamin Sieber and other members of staff spoke about our philosophy and fields of work. This resulted in an interesting and lively Q&A session with the approximately 30 young planners.

It was a pleasure for us to get in contact with the young planners especially in these special circumstances. You can find a complete report in the Deutsches Architektenblatt or under the following link:

A year with special challenges, but also many taken chances is now behind us. We have learned again how important solidarity, trust and confidence are and would like to thank our partners and the entire team. We will be available for you again on 04th january 2021.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 90th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship between Germany and Saudi Arabia (formerly Kingdom of Hedjaz and Najd), the German Embassy in Riyadh is organizing the first “German Cultural Days”.

We are very pleased that the exhibitions, concerts, film screenings and performances will take place in the King Fahad National Library built by us. The exhibition “German architecture in Saudi-Arabia” shows selected works by Gerber Architekten, AS+P and Bödeker based on photographs and models. On 8 November 2019 at 19.30 the exhibition will open in the atrium of the King Fahad National Library.

Further information on the German Days can be found at: https://saudiarabien.diplo.de/ksa-en/news/-/2263442

Architecture exhibition: 09.11. to 16.11.2019, Atrium of the King Fahad National Library, King Fahd Rd, Riyadh 12211, Saudi Arabia Opening hours: daily 17:00 – 22:30 o’clock

Visualisierung & Video: ©Gerber Architekten 

The motto of the Open Monument Day 2020 “The Monument: Remember. Preserve. Rethink” refers to an important field of work in architecture: the reactivation of historical buildings.

Since the 16th century the Tönnishof used to be a farmhouse. Back in 1884 the farmer couple Dietrich Wilhelm and Elsa Tönnis build a modern, square courtyard complex for the stables, barns and the equipment, as well as a villa connected in the axis of the square as a stately home. The Tönnishof survived the World War I and II without damages. It was the construction of the new train line that sealed the fate of the complex. The high railroad embankment separated the farmland from the courtyard and required the partial demolition of the complex. As a result the last farmer, Günter Tönnis, decided to give up and sell the Tönnishof in 1977. In 1978, Prof. Eckhard Gerber first purchased the neo-classical style villa, which he had restored and has used since then as a residential building and an architectural office with currently 110 employees.

On September 13, 2020, Prof. Eckhard Gerber and his wife, the restorer Anngrit Gerber, will give a tour at the Tönnishof.