The District Architect. 14 Aphorisms on Urban Planning

The city builds itself: "We are interested in the specific features of Cologne. For this, we develop built analogies. Our projects create a dialogue between the building and its context. This means that we deal with the reality on site, because this is the only way to create something distinctive. Since we have designed all the buildings specifically for Cologne, they can thus only be located in Cologne." Christian Heuchel

The city is a mélange: "As an architect and urban planner, I am interested in the motley cityscape of Cologne. It is like an unsorted tangle, where relics from Roman times stand next to typical 1950s architecture. Cologne has something unfinished about it. This makes the city a good breeding ground for future urban development. It is this peculiar mélange that makes Cologne so special." Christian Heuchel

The city rubs off: "Via material, architecture and space. Via the forecourt in front of the major churches, the red carpet in front of the opera houses, the large squares. As a background, it shapes people, imperceptibly giving stage directions: Look to the right, look to the left, walk faster, sit down, keep calm, applaud now! People show themselves, stroll, go for a run or just hang out." Christian Heuchel

The architect’s role: "People need someone who sets quality rules and makes decisions. That’s why the idea was born to introduce the Veedelsbaumeister ("district architect") for Parkstadt Süd on the edge of downtown Cologne. As the district’s master builder, he is the godfather of the project, who keeps sight of the big picture." Christian Heuchel

Building the city: "Urban planning is actually quite simple if you look closely at how it works." Wolfgang Sonne

Rules for the Art of Building: The 10 Rules for the Art of Building were presented by Laurids Ortner on 24 April 2006 in the auditorium of the Düsseldorf Art Academy. The title at the time was: 10 Hints for Better Architecture. 

Identity: "The identity of the city is created through its long-term history and the preservation of its monuments, urban layout and building culture. Individualistic branding denies the existing characteristics of a place and encourages the loss of identity in the age of globalization." Wolfgang Sonne 

Veedelsbaumeister: "In order to implement urban development over a long period of time, you need a kind of "Veedelsbaumeister" (district architect). He has his Veedels handbook. He is the one to take responsibility, the one who answers questions. Exhibitions will explain how the neighborhood is integrated into the urban space, into Cologne’s history and topography. The overall project will be presented in individual, attractive and comprehensible sections." Christian Heuchel

In dialog with the world: "The architect/urban planner is in dialog with the world. What he builds as a city is not a new design according to his own rules, but it is city according to the rules of the city." Wolfgang Sonne

Beauty of the everyday: "The scenarios that recur in our work are concise: we are fascinated by the beauty of the everyday. The friction with urban reality and sharpening perception are an essential strand in our work. In order to make the existing visible, buildings are veiled, the eye is directed specifically to what has gone unnoticed. Existing buildings are extended with clear volumes so that they develop a sculptural presence." Christian Heuchel 

Art: "The collaboration with artists and writers enriches our picture workshop. A cabinet of curiosities that always allows us to discover something new, that gives insight into the flow of ideas." Christian Heuchel

O&O Baukunst and the city: For more than 50 years, the architectural office O&O Baukunst has been dealing with urban development issues. In the 1960s, it was visionary designs for future forms of living. Today, the office plans and builds entire urban quarters in Europe.

Imparting: "Our goal is to design and further develop buildings and cities – always with a drive towards the extraordinary and a desire to achieve uniqueness: to recognize existing but undiscovered potential, thereby making cities more visible." Christian Heuchel

More about O&O Baukunst can be seen in 2023 in the following exhibition: Sphinx. 10 Regeln zur Baukunst, 11 May - 25 June 2023 at Baukunstarchiv NRW, Dortmund. 

Interactive map
Using selected building projects by O&O Baukunst, the topic is presented taking the city of Cologne as an example. For information on the projects, click here for the interactive map.

«Town Planning in Democratic Structures» is a project of O&O Baukunst Köln, C. FATH and World-Architects.