Sauerbruch Hutton

The façade of the GSW high-rise in Berlin, with its rotating sunshades in gradations of pink, orange and red, the three-dimensionally textured shell of colorfully glazed ceramic rods of the Museum Brandhorst in Munich that changes with the passersby’s every step, or the red, gray and white dappled ceramic walls of the new M9 Museum in Mestre that take up on the brick tones of the surroundings; colorful shimmering façades are one of the trademarks of the office founded in 1989 by Matthias Sauerbruch and Louisa Hutton. They have redefined color as a material of architecture and recognised its potential to create and form space. This is however just one aspect of their multifaceted work, which has now spanned 30 years.

The office, which has been based in Berlin since its first major competition success in 1991, the expansion and renovation of GSW's headquarters, has around 100 employees today working in a wide variety of fields, always striving for innovation. The focus is on the joy of dealing with space and material in a sensual way, the curiosity for technical and spatial innovation and the responsible use of the available resources. At first glance, this results in surprising building forms that, upon closer inspection, reveal an intensive examination of the often urban environment.

One of their most recent projects is the M9 Museum Quarter in Mestre, which helps to open up a previously inaccessible part of the city to the local population through newly created connecting routes. Here, Sauerbruch Hutton showcased their work over the past 30 years in the 2021 exhibition titled "draw, love, build". The work was presented along three narrative threads, weaving together the main themes of their projects: how to deal with the post-industrial city, the concern for optimal sustainability, and the joy of sensual and surprising spaces that enrich the everyday lives of their users.

60 works can now be seen in aut and in keeping with the robust character of the former brewery, are presented on their transport crates. Due to the atmospheric density of the models in different scales and different materialities, the arrangement has the character of an expansive installation that allows different perspectives on the architectural work and can be associated with urban landscapes. Those wishing to delve even deeper into the world of Sauerbruch Hutton will find further information, drawings, photos and films via a specially developed app. The aut: lounge, whose large windows are painted with solar-shading paint, invites visitors to linger. During the day, this softens the sun's rays; at night, the luminous glazing makes the exhibition present in the urban space.

exhibition curators
Peter Apel, Louisa Hutton, Matthias Sauerbruch
team Lucia Alonso, Sabine Hertwig, Claus Marquart, Denise Murray Schlegel, Amelie Schleifenheimer as well as Jörg Albeke and Andrea Breinbauer

sauerbruch hutton
In 1989 Matthias Sauerbruch and Louisa Hutton founded the office in London and moved it in 1991 to Berlin. The office currently consists of a team of about 100 employees, the responsibility for the office is shared by 19 partners and 7 associates.

partners
Andrew Kiel, Bettina Magistretti, David Wegener, Falco Herrmann, Jonas Luther, Juan Lucas Young, Julia Knaak, Jürgen Bartenschlag, Konrad Opitz, Lina Lahiri, Louisa Hutton, Mareike Lamm, Matthias Sauerbruch, Peter Apel, Sabine Hertwig, Sibylle Bornefeld, Steffi Gutschwager, Tom Geister, Vera Hartmann

associates Andrea Frensch, Christian Seidel, Isabelle Hartmann, Jörg Maier, Marc Broquetas, Philipp Hesse, Stefan Fuhlrott

matthias sauerbruch
born 1955 in Constance; studied at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London 1977 - 83; project manager and Partner at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in London 1983 - 89; Unit Master at the AA 1985 - 90; Professor at the TU Berlin and the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart 1995 - 2005; Visiting Professor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (2006), at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (2005 - 09) and at the Berlin University of the Arts (2012 - 14); Founding Member of the German Sustainable Building Council, Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the RIAI (Irish Chamber of Architects)

louisa hutton
born 1957 in Norwich (GB); studied at the University of Bristol and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London 1975 - 85; collaboration with Alison + Peter Smithson in London 1984 - 88; lecturer at the Architectural Association 1989 - 90 and Visiting Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design 2008; member of the first steering committee  of the Bundesstiftung Baukultur, honorary member of the American Institute of Architects as well as the RIAI (Irish Chamber of Architects); since 2014 Royal Academician of the Royal Academy of Arts

peter apel
born 1970 in Stuttgart; studied at the Technical University of Berlin 1994 - 2001; employee since 2001 and partner since 2020 at Sauerbruch Hutton; lecturer since 2018 and professor since 2022 at the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Dessau