New York, October 9 - November 6, 2024

Exhibition at Goethe-Institut New York Opening: October 9, 2024

Conversion instead of demolition and new construction is one of the most socially, economically, and culturally relevant topics of our time. For nearly fifty years, gmp has been engaged with the topic of conversion (UMBAU). The UMBAU. Nonstop Transformation project began in 2023 with an exhibition during the 18th Architecture Biennale in Venice, which then, in the spring of 2024, was shown in Hamburg. At each venue, a selection of specific examples from the firm's ninety renovation projects is presented, featuring buildings that are either completed, currently at the design stage, or under construction.

In New York, six projects of different typologies were presented, representing a cross-section of the current global challenges in conversion. The transformation of skyscrapers was a focus, as was the conversion of cultural and sports buildings in Europe and Asia. On display were the at that time recently completed Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, the Isarphilharmonie Gasteig HP8 in Munich, which integrates a former transformer hall, the extension of the Kunsthalle Mannheim, and the renovation of the Chao Hotel in Beijing. Also featured were the conversion of Shanghai's largest stainless steel factory into the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts and the design for the conversion of Hans Scharoun's State Library at the Kulturforum in Berlin.

The selection exemplified gmp's specific approach to UMBAU: through a comprehensive exploration, concepts are developed that ensure contemporary use whilst also relating to the existing building fabric. At its core, the focus is always on reactivating what already exists in all its diversity. The past, present, and future of the projects were represented through film, models, and architectural drawings.

UMBAU. Nonstop Transformation in New York was part of the Archtober architecture and design festival and was also represented at the “Open House New York Weekend”.

Exhibition October 9 - November 6, 2024 Goethe-Institut New York 30 Irving Place New York, NY 10003 USA

Curators Stephan Schütz and Nikolaus Goetze with Detlef Jessen-Klingenberg Curatorial Advisor Florian Heilmeyer

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