Heinrich Tessenow's 150th Anniversary Exhibition 'Essential' at HCU Hamburg

To mark the 150th anniversary of reform architect Heinrich Tessenow (1876–1950) and as part of the 11th Hamburg Architecture Summer, the Heinrich-Tessenow-Gesellschaft presents the exhibition 'Essential' at the HafenCity University (HCU). The show explores how residential architecture can combine low resource consumption with high architectural quality. It features works by this year's Heinrich-Tessenow Medal winner Florian Nagler and previous laureates, alongside drawings and models by HCU students led by Prof. Paolo Fusi. Nagler's research houses in Bad Aibling—built in concrete, wood, and brick—demonstrate how material choice affects spatial quality and energy use. The concrete house uses 50 cm thick walls without reinforcement, resulting in round arches; the wood house uses mechanical joints without adhesives; the brick house features half-arch lintels. All three have identical dimensions but fenestration shaped by material logic. Also highlighted is Alberto Campo Baeza's 2014 'House of the Infinite' in Cadiz, a minimalist seaside structure that merges with the horizon. Student projects reimagine post-war buildings by Tessenow's pupils in Hamburg, proposing wooden additions and communal spaces. The exhibition itself is staged inside a reusable scaffolding, emphasizing process over finality. On view until June 7, 2026, at HCU Foyer, Henning-Voscherau-Platz 1, Hamburg.