What We Do…
What We Do…
kadawittfeldarchitektur is involved in architecture, interior design, town planning and urban projects. As architects, project managers, consultants and cooperation partners, we focus on all the associated design, communication and organisational tasks … more
kwbau focuses on the development of new builds and conversions with a focus on tendering, contracting, site inspection and supervision as well as quality, time and cost management in the service phases 6 to 8 … more
In addition to quality assurance and project management, kadawittfeldconsult provides advice on sustainable design and certifications.
Find our list of work here … more
Dialogical Work –
Stay in Conversation
„Creating good architecture is a work process. It is not something that just falls into our lap. And, most importantly: the building is not for our use. It has to be developed in cooperation with the future occupants.“
Dirk Lange
We strive to find the most bespoke solution for every project together with all project participants – our client, the occupants, various experts and the public sector.
„Architecture always has an impact on the surroundings. We therefore have to account for what we do.“
Kilian Kada
One advantage of dialogical work processes is that the design is not only influenced by the tangible context, such as the urban environment or the ground conditions. The intangible values deriving from social, economic, time-related and cultural issues also have an impact and are incorporated in the project by the different stakeholders and participants.
„I used to see the discussions in the design phase as diversions – I now understand them as an important catalyst for finding the best solution.“
Gerhard Wittfeld
Made to Measure –
I’m a Model and I Look Good
We examine the potentials of a project through careful analysis and a multitude of sketches, mood boards, models and design variations. Serial studies of volume and space enable us to compare variants directly and make our decisions clearly visible for the client and other planning participants.
Imagine space: experience brainwaves, test, examine and correct designs using a cutter, 3D printer and laser engraver.
We live in a digital era. Plans are created at computers; renderings are impressive and sometimes difficult to distinguish from a real photo. But more than anything else, the computer is a networking tool. The visual depiction is only one part of the complex linkage between all aspects and requirements of a planning process. With the help of BIM – Building Information Modeling – all the relevant data of a building, its design and future use is brought together continuously, further developed and interconnected consistently in terms of creative, technical and economic aspects: the building is completed, before it is actually constructed, in a coherent and reliable manner for the benefit of all project participants.
Why do we still draw by hand?
Simply because of its rough and rugged texture, the hand sketch is still in use in our practice. And this certainly doesn’t only mean the famous first “cocktail napkin sketch”. Throughout the entire design process, the sketch adheres to the basic idea, outlines the key thought as a whole or in detail. More elaborate draughts can be added, which investigate the character of the potential design. A sketch provides a direct sensual approach to a project in the same way as a model. Hand-drawn sketches and visualisations allow the architect to think about the atmosphere of a space and the character of materials. They are a basis for reassurance as well as communication.
Added Value Space –
We Build Architecture for People
and Create Places to Enjoy
„Good architecture should provide opportunities, which possibly weren’t there before.“
Gerhard Wittfeld
We examine construction projects and traditional typologies with the aim of finding hidden potentials. By developing inferior places in a communicative and functional way, even neglected areas can be turned into beauty spots.
Sustainability –
What We Do to Make the World a Better Place
Planning sustainable buildings is a complex. Lots of project participants have to be involved, sometimes even convinced; many aspects have to be considered and weighed. But we’re not giving up. Because if you consider that the building industry is responsible for the consumption of approx. 50% of all resources and approx. 50% of all energy and, in doing so, produces approx. 60% of all waste, then we are grateful that we can make a difference where it really matters!
We have been a member of the DGNB since 2009 and support the initiative ‘Phase Sustainability ‘ and ‘Architects declare’. We established our own department to advise our colleagues and clients and accompany certification processes or C2C projects in 2013. Projects such as the Kreislaufhaus at Zollverein, Moringa, the Beiersdorf Children’s Day Care Centre ‘Troplo Kids, the LVR building at Ottoplatz and many more show that it worthwhile integrating sustainability aspects into the planning process at an early stage … more
We see the circular economy and digitalization as symbiotic drivers of the construction industry. As a “Madaster Innovation Partner”, we believe in the relevance of the material passport. A circular mindset is the ticket. We already gained valuable experience in 2015 with the RAG Kreislaufhaus at Zollverein, which was one of the first buildings in Germany to take into account comprehensive C2C measures and was a pilot project in the EU research project ‘BAMB – Building as Material Banks’.
With our expertise in circular construction, we look forward to working in conjunction with BIM and together with the Madaster network to drive the sustainable development of the construction industry.
More information on its membership here.
How “good” is my building material?
Our sustainability department, which regularly deals with sustainable materials, has developed a new tool: the “Material-kwa-taster”. Manufacturers can use a form to enter basic information about their products with regard to their sustainability and thus store it in our database.
This additional information will not only enable us to make better decisions regarding product selection in the future, but will also sensitize manufacturers to the issue of sustainable construction.
We are a Concular Circularity Partner!
Concular launches with the “Circularity Partner Program” the first circular value chain for sustainable and resource efficient construction and we are part of it!
More information about the membership here.
The new building for the RAG-Stiftung and RAG Aktiengesellschaft on the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site in Essen is based on innovative sustainability standards according to the “Cradle to Cradle” school of thought and also received the highest DGNB certification in platinum… more here.
