Free

Antivilla, 2015; courtesy of bplus.xyz

Please join us at 1:00 pm on Saturday, July 20 for a presentation by Midway’s design architects bplus.xyz. Jonas Janke and Roberta Jurčić will present from Midway’s gallery along with Arno Brandlhuber and Olaf Grawert who will join virtually. The team will present on past projects, their philosophy and practice, and Midway’s building, the firm’s first commission in the US.

bplus.xyz (b+) is a collaborative architecture practice that operates at the intersection of theory and practice, using different media and formats. The practice seeks to engage with the contemporary challenges of our time, particularly those related to the social-ecological transformation of existing buildings, offering economically viable solutions.

b+ understands architecture as an open process, and views buildings as part of larger systems that require a systemic approach. The practice sees the given framework of existing buildings and legislation as an active design tool with the potential for transformation. Thus, b+ celebrates the potential of the existing built environment and aims to reveal and activate the latent potentials within.

b+ emphasizes working with different actors and stakeholders in project development. The practice values their knowledge and expertise and aims to create spaces for exchange and collaboration. b+ seeks to advance a new value system in architecture, one that places greater emphasis on collective responsibility, systemic thinking, and ecologically and economically viable solutions

Currently led by Arno Brandlhuber, Olaf Grawert, Jonas Janke and Roberta Jurčić; former partner Jolene Lee; former team members Nina Barac, Anja Carsten, Felix Ganzer, Franziska Gödicke, Luke Handon, Moritz Heuberger, Luis Neuber, Lukas Meyer

In collaboration with (since 2006) 2038 – The New Serenity; 2G, Moisés Puente; a42.org (AdBK Nürnberg); akademie c/o Architektur und Stadtforschung (AdBK Nürnberg), Anna-Catharina Gebbers and Christian Posthofen; ARCH+; architecten de vylder vinck taillieu; Marius Babias; BARarchitekten; Mark Bain; Barbara Van Der Wee Architects; Barkow Leibinger; BAST; Benedikt Gondolf; Bogdan & Van Broeck; Büro für Konstruktivismus, Sandra Bartoli and Silvan Linden; Thomas Burlon; Thomas Demand; Georg Diez; Doorzon Interieurarchitecten; Marta Dyachenko; El Croquis, Fernando Márquez Cecilia and Richard Levene; Markus Emde; Ludwig Engel; ERA; Martín Ferrari; Olaf Grawert; Alexander Görg; Thorben Gröbel; Constanze Haas; Florian Hertweck; HKW; Tobias Hönig; Andrijana Ivanda; Eveline Jürgens; June14 Meyer-Grohbrügge & Chermayeff; Roberta Jurčić; Christian Kerez; Walther König; KOW; Niklas Maak; MANIERA; Thomas Mayfried; Isa Melsheimer; Giacomo Messina; Michalski&Wagner; Muck Petzet Architekten; n.b.k. Neuer Berliner Kunstverein; Fritz Neumeyer; Erica Overmeer; Manfred Pernice; Anselm Reyle; Riegler Riewe Architekten; Nikolai von Rosen; Christopher Roth; Sam Chermayeff Office; Peter Schiering; Snow Kreilich; station+ (D-ARCH ETH Zurich); Antonia Steger; unprofessional studio; Caspar Viereckel, Katharina Volgger

Arno Brandlhuber (DE, 1964) is an architect and urban planner at bplus.xyz (Berlin), a collaborative practice that emerged from Brandlhuber+ (2006-2021). In his architectural production, from buildings to research to media, he deals with the existing building stock with a focus on legislation. He understands the given not as a restriction but rather as an active design tool to challenge the norms. This approach resulted in several buildings such as Brunnenstrasse 9, Antivilla or St. Agnes, and three films: Legislating Architecture (2016), The Property Drama (2017), and Architecting after Politics (2018), together with director Christopher Roth. Brandlhuber’s engagement with the medium of film and its political and spatial potential led to the founding of station+ at ETH Zurich in 2017, a collaboration that resulted in 2038 – The New Serenity, the German Pavilion at the 17th Venice Biennale, together with Olaf Grawert, Nikolaus Hirsch, and Christopher Roth.

Olaf Grawert (AT, 1987) is an architect, advisor and a partner at bplus.xyz (Berlin). Together with a close network of collaborators, he works on architectural projects that bridge theory and practice, from campaigns and exhibitions to publications and films. His work focuses on the political and economic conditions of spatial production, with a particular interest in the potential of architecture to effect social change. Grawert was co-curator of 2038 – The New Serenity, the German Pavilion at the 17th Venice Biennale, and is co-editor of “What is architecture?”. He has been teaching with station+ at ETH Zurich since 2017.

Jonas Janke (DE, 1991) is an architect and partner at bplus.xyz (Berlin). He has a diverse background in architecture, was trained as an architectural draughtsman before pursuing his studies in Hamburg, Stockholm, and Berlin. He gained valuable experience as a tutor and assistant in various departments including design & typologies, building construction, and structural design. He was part of the team 2038, the German Pavilion at 17th Venice Architecture Biennale 2021. His focus is on new construction materials and methods for adaptive reuse and renovation projects, seeking pragmatic technical and mechanical solutions that use material and construction thoughtfully.

Roberta Jurcic (HR, 1993) is an architect and partner at bplus.xyz (Berlin), where her focus is on translating theoretical concepts such as multi-species cohabitation into different formats of (built) architecture. She has a particular interest in ecological processes and systems, with a focus on habitats for humans and non-humans alike. In her practice, she investigates this interest in relation to the privatization of land, both in urban and rural contexts, through alternative media such as film. She was member of the teaching team at station+ (ETH Zurich) from 2019-2022.