Innovation
Drive
Firmly on our path
to the future
InnovationInnovation
February 15, 2024
Reading time: 09:15
Illustration by
AllesWirdGut
Visualization by
AllesWirdGut
Patricia Bagienski (K30)
Photos by
eiland.wien (team portraits)
Marc Goodwin (office)
Video 1 by
Cin Cin
Video 2 by
AllesWirdGut –
production commissioned by BAUonline
What does it mean to bring innovation to an industry whose work results from 2000 years ago can still be used, or at least understood, today?
An industry whose products (in these parts at least) are made to outlast generations—with all their yet unknown needs? An industry at the center of which is human life quality and whose preferred measure therefore is “the human”—what does that in fact refer to? Basic needs (protection, climate control, beauty) or present-day trends (3D printing, patchwork families, cooking as a lifestyle experience)?
It is questions like these that we confront in our designs because they involve important aspects and the very fundamentals of our inspiration.
Progress and innovation therefore are centrally important to us at AllesWirdGut. Particularly in the construction industry, we see innovation driven by a combination of digitalization, automation, sustainability, and collaborative working. The optimized processes and planning methods we use help our team’s efforts for efficiency, creativity, flexibility, agility and sustainability.
Office ensemble Kruppstrasse, Stuttgart (DE) – 2nd prize, a sustainable office shelf for the working world of the future
What does Innovation mean? Innovation means being open to new developments, integrating them into our work, and finding an architectural language that comes up with answers to contemporary problems—but also staying even-handed and not letting the wealth of experience of architectural history fall into oblivion. A modern-day example of this is affordable and contemporary residential timber construction, which currently is in urgent need for good solutions: On the one hand, our planning should meet today’s (and tomorrow’s) demand for cost-effective, sustainable, and resource-saving housing construction. In this context, we are working closely together with, for example, timber construction companies, which includes doing basic research into digitalizing the planning
process. Under the WohnBAUM Deutschland program, we partner with Gerner Gerner Plus. to work on the development of an easy-to-handle system that provides customized solutions for different sites. On the other hand, we are now able to put years of experience in architectural planning into each of our building layouts and have made it our declared goal to make any site that our buildings stand on a better and more livable place—in the spirit of an architecture of timeless beauty.
Wit internal research and development ongoing, we keep our finger on the pulse of time to be able to offer our clients innovative solutions that are not only aesthetically satisfying but also functional and economically viable.
Digitalization across the board
All our projects are developed created using the BIM (Building Information Modeling) method, which means they already have much geometric and alphanumeric content that is utilizable in simulations, computations, evaluations, and interdisciplinary planning. This enables us to optimize the geometry and performance of the architecture early on in the planning. Digitalization hence is an integral part of AllesWirdGut’s company culture. We use digital data to continuously optimize internal work processes and take collaborative work to a new technological level. Integrated of cloud solutions facilitate seamless collaboration between team members, regardless of where they work from. Moreover, internal digital databases optimize documentation, archiving and the exchange of knowledge. The use of digital tools makes for not only faster but also for more sustainable implementation of projects, as resources can be used more effectively. Our goal in this respect is to step up the efficiency of our collaboration, reduce costs, improve the accessibility of information, and advance innovation. This mindset informs the way we work, enabling us to keep up with the always changing requirements of our industry.
Quality orientation,
Cost certainty,
Schedule adherence
BIMcert staff,
openBIM supporter,
IFC compatible software
Model-based workflows,
“Single Source of Truth”,
Integral planning
Rule-based quality control,
Stakeholder BCF communication,
Automated test routines
ISO 19650,
Internal BPMN diagrams,
BIM applications
Model-based LCA,
Model-based cost monitoring,
Model-based service specs
BIM ready users,
Regular BIM trainings,
Internal BIM manual
Innovative thinking,
Openness to new methods,
Data mining
2 BIM managers,
3 BIM coordinators,
60 BIM users
Successful completion,
High-quality planning,
Client satisfaction
WBD – WohnBAUM program Germany
AUA – Agnes and Albrecht, Nuremberg (DE)
Innovation is in the process. At AllesWirdGut, we challenge traditional concepts and methods, replacing them with creative new solutions. The use of cutting-edge technologies such as Virtual & Augmented Reality, 3D printing, and Building Information Modeling (BIM) not only enables developing future-proof designs, but also facilitates the organization and processes of our everyday collaboration. Another integral component of our process-optimized method is co-opting technological concepts such as the creation and use of digital twins, life cycle assessment, cloud computing, as well as technological achievements like the Internet of Things (IoT). Our team uses the tools from this technological spectrum not just for design purposes, but to optimize construction processes and flesh out aspects of sustainability and economic efficiency in our architecture.
The art of keeping at it. Our experts work hard to stay on top of international innovation developments and regularly implement new technologies and methods into our own processes. We also invest in in-house academies to make sure that our entire team always stays up to date. External trainings and attendance of technology and digitalization events also are important elements of our innovation strategy, enabling us to continuously expand and share our knowledge and experience in the field.
The driving force: Competition(s) Taking part in architectural competitions is an eminent opportunity for us to keep putting our skills to the test and to develop innovative ideas. The competition process encourages moving beyond traditional boundaries and exploring new approaches. Competition enhances not only the quality of the results but also the exchange of ideas within the industry. Competitions also give visibility to architectural ideation and provide a platform for the presentation of visionary concepts that might otherwise go unacknowledged. We at AllesWirdGut largely bank on architectural competitions for contract acquisition, since we believe that this strategy generally strengthens the innovative power of our industry and is a driver of progress in the design of our built-up environment.
AllesWirdGut Insight #3. Usually we don't share our formula of success, but check this insight for some glimpses into how we work. Watch the full Video on our Vimeo Channel.
In a BAUonline lecture, Herwig Spiegl presents a possible glimpse into future living.
Development takes time. Those with time can explore new things, listen to city residents, learn from their experiences, and draw conclusions for tomorrow. Innovation needs to be explained for users to actively demand it. This is how we can plan for the long-term future.
We cherish diversity and inclusion! Our team includes people from different backgrounds, abilities, and age groups, which automatically leads to a broad range of perspectives. Every year we welcome students from universities all over Europe who join us for six-month internships, full of dreams and the wish to make a better world. They also keep us up to date with the latest trends in music, art, fashion and architecture. At the same time, the more experienced architects among us help us stay open-minded and far-sighted and bring a wide range of viewpoints and approaches to our architectural planning.
Sounds like a cliché, but it’s true! We firmly believe that architecture is not a single-player game, but a team sport. From our employees and experts to specialist planners and partnering architecture firms, we are open to all types of collaboration—to the benefit of our projects every single day.
Even if we don’t hold a patent on it, our most important ingredient definitely is fun and the joy of creating! At AllesWirdGut, we foster a culture of innovation: It is an environment that appreciates and rewards creativity, experimentation, and taking risks. We encourage team members to share their ideas openly and offer them opportunities to pursue innovative ideas and experiments.
At AllesWirdGut, we dream big and then go to work as a team to make those dreams a reality. One outstanding characteristic of our creative department is the very stable team we have there. We believe we can always keep learning from one another and from our projects. We also encourage and hone abilities to think outside the box, recognize connections where others may not see them, and imagine possibilities beyond current realities.
To foster creativity is ultimately not just about generating ideas, but also about encouraging individuals to make these ideas a reality so as to have a positive impact, direct or indirect, on the world around us.
From planning urban-development structures, entire neighborhoods, schools, offices or residential buildings to the design of a bridge, a small store or a single-family home—at AllesWirdGut we cover a broad range of projects of all scales. Whether it’s luxury office buildings built with budgets that allow us to dream big, or social housing where we can make an active contribution to creating affordable and high-quality living for everyone—each project poses an exciting challenge that we are happy to take on.
Of “Albrecht and Agnes,” two buildings striking up a dialogue, all the way to a love story—storytelling definitely helps us with the conception and development of our projects. Sometimes that starting point of an idea is an inspiring painting, sometimes it is a creature from the animal kingdom, like a chameleon rotating its eyes in every direction. Every project in our office quickly becomes a family member—nicknames included!
There’s no denying that experience makes a difference. You keep learning with every project. The exciting thing about architecture, after all, is that each project, each site, each client is unique. In a way, this means that each project and each task—be it a new building, a conversion, the making of model, or just finding some new inspiration—is a custom-made solution that is perfectly attuned to our client’s needs.
In a world often characterized by unbounded creativity and unlimited possibilities, it is important to realize that within constraint lies opportunity. Instead of being discouraged by limitations, we take them as a source of creative challenge. We believe that limited resources and frame conditions can in fact help to boost our imagination and bring forth innovative solutions—beyond the trodden paths.
AllesWirdGut Architektur ZT GmbH
Untere Donaustraße 13–15
1020 Vienna, Austria
AllesWirdGut Architektur ZT GmbH
Jahnstraße 18
80469 Munich, Germany
AllesWirdGut Architektur ZT GmbH
Jahnstraße 18
80469 Munich, Germany
