LIVING

Dear Readers,

Same procedure as every year: As soon as the grey winter days have passed, the spring trade fairs are on our agenda. The Munich Design Days and Münchner Stoff Frühling are luring professionals to Munich, while in Frankfurt, ISH – the world’s leading trade fair for HVAC and water – is preparing to welcome visitors. And the first pre-summer days will likely see us in Milan at the 63rd Salone del Mobile. This year’s edition includes the Euroluce lighting exhibition, held every two years, and for the second time, the 9th edition of the Alcova design show will take place in Varese, on the outskirts of Milan. Anyone currently planning a house or flat is sure to find a wealth of cutting-edge (product) inspiration at these events. Our projects selection on the topic of living might also be inspiring. Whether it’s a conversion, extension, renovation or new construction, looking beyond the end of one’s nose and across national borders reveals exemplary, thoughtful and sustainable approaches to existing structures and surrounding landscapes. In her article “New Design”, Mikala Holme Samsøe explores how interior architecture can and must embrace a reductive modernism – preventing the high-gloss aesthetics of past decades from hindering the acceptance of reused materials and furniture. We illustrate her insightful reflections with a real-world example: House 14A in Hellerup, Denmark. The approaches are many and varied – especially when it comes to preserving, renovating and renewing historical buildings. J. Mayer H. demonstrates this with the renovation of a villa on Lake Como, while Johannes Modersohn and Antje Freiesleben contribute to both history and urban development with the reconstruction of a roof destroyed by war in Berlin. In light of today’s political, social and economic irritations, celebrating (interior) architecture and its protagonists feels good. This was the case at the 16th INsider Award ceremony, which was celebrated with 200 guests at the Munich House of Communication, shining a spotlight on this year’s winners, Julia Schneider and Julia Aruanno. The same sentiment drives our feature for International Women’s Day on March 8: We report about three outstanding representatives of our profession and are delighted about this female influence in particular!

Best wishes
Petra Stephan, Dipl.-Ing.
Chief Editor
Architect