- 2026 Prize
- From Landscape Design
Erlebnis-Hus St. Peter-Ording
Project Description
The new Erlebnis-Hus in St. Peter-Ording marks the culmination of the expanded beach promenade as part of a landscape project that emerged from a competition win in collaboration with the landscape architects Uniola. It aims to serve visitors of all ages and backgrounds as an inclusive meeting point, deeply rooted at a local level in both form and function, while radiating a strong regional identity.
The construction is inspired by the local pile construction methods. It consists of an exposed load-bearing structure made of laminated timber, within which five oversized solid wood cubes are inserted at various heights and positions. The project's task was to find a sustainable, ecological, and innovative solution, contributing to the attractiveness of the location, both from a tourism and societal perspective.
Each of the five cubes of the structure serves a distinct purpose: they house an analog game venue, an information center + shop, a restaurant, a staff office, and sanitary facilities. The individual cubes are enclosed on three sides with a suspended wooden facade and open on one side with oversized windows, providing impressive views of the sea, the adjacent biotope, the promenade, and the distant landscape. A large number of terraces and stairs make the building accessible and usable on multiple levels outdoors, while a reinforced concrete core with an elevator and infrastructure rooms stabilize the emblematic wooden structure. Play equipment integrated into the wooden sculpture invites visitors to interact with the building and encourages them to play in, on, under, besides, and around the house.
Holzer Kobler Architekturen was established in Zurich in 2004 by Prof. Barbara Holzer and Prof. Tristan Kobler. Today, the studio operates internationally out of Zurich, Berlin, Cologne and Nyon and covers a wide spectrum of competences including urban planning and architecture, scenography and design. A multidisciplinary team made up of architects, designers, graphic artists and curators define its specific orientation in close collaboration with public and private sectors as well as a broad network that encompasses industry, science, art and culture.
The work of Holzer Kobler Architekturen focuses on programmatic innovation, aesthetic identity and the characteristics of context in their handling of architecture and space. The concept of Architekturen (architectures) can therefore be understood as an opening and extension of spaces for thinking as well as various other activities in architecture. Artistic integrity, cultural and social values as well as sustainable developments within constantly changing demands regarding habitational and working environments are fundamental to all projects, from masterplanning to detail design. Instead of an easily recognizable form of articulation, the distinguishing feature of every project is its distinctiveness. The result is a trove of novel ideas reflected in the large number of unique creations.
