TUM Department of Architecture

Congratulations to our students Finn-Matti Hirtz, Zeno Blaas, and Jan Ludwig! Their project „Dunkle Schale, Heller Kern“ has been selected as one of three winning entries of the 6th proHolz Student Trophy 2026 .at .

The design adds a three-story timber extension to an existing office and medical building at Candidplatz in Munich, demonstrating the potential of urban densification through timber construction. New residential spaces are organized around naturally lit and ventilated atria, while public ground-floor uses and landscaped outdoor areas strengthen the connection to the neighborhood.

The jury praised the project’s clear conceptual approach, spatial quality, and sensitive integration with the existing building. It also highlighted the well-considered fire safety strategy and the efficient organization of compact living units.

Developed as part of the master’s project „Candidplatz – Timber on Top“, it was supervised by the Chair of Architecture and Timber Construction and the Chair of Timber Structures and Building Construction at the TUM School of Engineering and Design .

This year’s proHolz Student Trophy focused on Timber on Top – Vertical Extensions in Urban Contexts at sites in Vienna, Munich, and Ljubljana. A total of 119 teams from eight countries participated. The award ceremony took place on 21 May 2026 at TU Wien.

More on: https://go.tum.de/219416

Image 1: proHolz Austria
All other images: Finn-Matti Hirtz, Zeno Blaas, and Jan Ludwig

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Congratulations to TUM Architecture graduate Christina Arnold! Her master’s thesis “Passstück im Bestand. Rischarts Backhaus, Buttermelcherstraße 16” received the Hans Döllgast Prize 2026.

Supervised by Prof. Dr. Andreas Putz at the Professorship of Recent Building Heritage Conservation, the thesis examines the vacant former Rischart bakery complex in Munich and its historical, typological, and urban context. Combining architectural documentation, 3D laser scans, archival research, and interviews with contemporary witnesses, the project develops a detailed analysis of the existing ensemble and its layered spatial structure.

Conceived as an alternative to the currently planned demolition and redevelopment, the design proposes a careful continuation of the existing fabric through adaptive reuse and targeted interventions. A new passage through the courtyard structure leads into the former bakery hall, reinterpreted as a covered urban space, while additional measures create new residential uses within the surrounding courtyard buildings.

The jury praised the project for its “multilayered and in-depth examination” of the existing building fabric, as well as for the clarity of its architectural language and presentation. It particularly highlighted the project’s holistic and sensitive approach to adaptive reuse and its relevance beyond the individual case study.

More on: go.tum.de/521206

All images: Christina Arnold

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This week, soft assembly opened to the public at the center of the TUM campus - a project exhibition space in a renovated overseas container. Initiated and curated by the Professorship of Art in Architecture (Prof. Sophie Erlund), it serves as a platform for artistic and academic exchange.

soft assembly will host regular exhibitions by artists from the Professorship’s national and international network, presenting contemporary artistic positions that engage with spatial, ecological, and societal questions.

Between exhibitions, the space is activated through student projects developed within the semester, offering insight into ongoing research, learning processes, and emerging practices. Together, these alternating formats position soft assembly as a continuously evolving exhibition space where art, architecture, and thought accumulate, overlap, and remain open to revision.

The opening exhibition, Chronos by Simon Mullan, presents a video installation of works created between 2004 and 2014, shown here as a multi-channel arrangement.

The exhibition is open to the public and will remain on view until 6 May.

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A final post sharing impressions from this winter semester’s final reviews.
We hope everyone is recharging over the semester break and is looking forward to the new semester ahead!

projects featured in this post:
H**p Lands Concluding Event .and 
Handwerk.Bauwerk II - Haus der Metallgewerke
Timber on Top - Candidplatz
Home and Office 2
MakeShift: The AMC Edu:Lab 2.0

All images: Sophie Lin / TUM

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Congratulations to all students on another successful and inspiring semester at the TUM Department of Architecture .architecture ! Thank you for sharing your projects, ideas, and perspectives on urgent architectural and societal questions.

We wish you the best of luck with the last presentations and exams and a restful, well-deserved semester break.
Over the coming weeks we will share a few impressions from the final reviews.

projects featured in this post:

Lernen vom Bestand
Cities and the Game with Absence .art.in.architecture
Taking the land‘s side - Rural settlements in Haimhausen
Brutaler Aufsteiger
Back to the Future
Cambiodunum .de


All Images: Sophie Lin / TUM

We wish all our students the very best of success with their submissions and presentations, as most final reviews at the TUM Department of Architecture start this week!

An overview of all reviews and exhibitions can be found in this post. For further details, please visit our website or follow our stories to stay up to date.

All final reviews are open to the public, and some are accompanied by exhibitions, talks, or interventions. Take the opportunity to stop by and explore the wide range of projects developed at our department this semester.

Please note that changes may occur at short notice.

Congratulations to TUM Architecture student Florian Roth! He has received the Senator Bernhard Borst Prize 2025 for his exceptional design quality, commitment, and professional rigor. Presented annually by the Bernhard-Borst Foundation, the award honors students and recent graduates whose work demonstrates creativity, precision, and a strong conceptual approach.

The following projects are a selection that highlights Roth’s experimental, social, and site-sensitive approach:
- “Lozzi” develops a school building designed for long-term use and full disassembly, using salvaged concrete, steel, and timber to combine sustainability with flexibility. (SS25 project „Design for Disassembly“ at the Professorship of Architecture and Design with Jakob Hügues)
- “Aquilone” reimagines a student residence in Urbino as a climate-resilient, community-focused space, with clusters of shared rooms, open circulation, and sustainable energy and water strategies. (WS24/25 project „Living in Urbino - Transformation and Re-Use“ at the Chair of Urban Design and Housing with Marius Moser and Jakob Hügues)
- “vis-à-vis” at the Alte Südfriedhof Munich subtly enhances historic chapels, using minimal interventions with water, light, and reflections to deepen spatial perception. (SS23 project „Realmontagen - Bauteile im Freien“ at the Chair of Architectural Design and Conception with Tobias van Hecke)

The award recognizes Roth’s exceptional combination of creativity, technical skill, and conceptual rigor across varied architectural projects.

More on: https://go.tum.de/218756

Images 1-5: Florian Roth, Jakob Hügues
Images 6-8: Florian Roth, Marius Moser, Jakob Hügues
Images 9-11: Floran Roth, Tobias van Hecke

Congratulations to all students on a successful and intensive summer semester at the Department of Architecture .architecture ! We thank you for presenting your projects, ideas, and approaches to pressing architectural and societal issues and wish you a relaxing and well-earned summer break.
Over the coming weeks, we will share selected impressions from the final presentations.

projects featured in this post:
Metalogien²
Transformative Stadt/Häuser im Dialog
From Matter to Meaning .art.in.architecture
To do more with less - Infill at the edge, Berlin
Corpus Habitandi
Gerne Warten
Convivium - Food Systems at the Limit

All Images: Julia Makowka / TUM