September 2017

BUILD / September 2017 15 Company: Nickl & Partner Architekten AG Name: Prof. Hans Nickl Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.nickl-partner.com Address: Lindberghstraße 19, 80939 München Telephone: +49 (0) 89 3605140 Inspiration in Bringing Intelligent Design to Life g “In this sense, we should name the general hospital Agatharied in Miesbach (Bavaria), being our first hospital project and it was certainly ground-breaking in the approach of healing architecture. While this project dates to the1990’s, it is still regarded by many as a highly successful and user-friendly hospital building. “The second project I want to mention is the University Hospital Frankfurt. This project reflects a challenge which operators of healthcare facilities and their architects must face throughout Europe: the confrontation with an out-of-date building stock. Typically, this building stock is an amalgam of buildings from different decades dating from the 19th century up to the functionalistic constructions of the 1950’s to 1970’s. “In Frankfurt, we had the once- in-a-lifetime chance to show how restructuration and renovation can contribute to efficiency, environmental and architectural quality and corporate identity of a hospital, even when carried out alongside ongoing operation.” Prof. Hans concludes the interview by telling is about prospects for the industry, and how the market could change over the next 12 months. “One of the challenges for architects in the future is the digitalisation of all planning processes, using BIM (Building Information Modelling) systems. “A second major trend is a change in the healthcare building industry. We observe that hospitals are built more and more by giant companies, who offer all-in solutions and act internationally. This forces classical mid-sized architectural companies to find a position in the increasingly international market. “In the future, the firm will focus on the development and the consolidation of Nickl & Partner Architekten AG’s five locations in Germany, Switzerland, China and Indonesia. The offices in Berlin, Zurich and Beijing are expanding and we wish to acquire the same reputation of leading healthcare architects in the European neighbourhood as already established in Germany.” Universität Ulm, Helmholtz-Institut (Foto: Werner Huthmacher)