Tuesday 15 Dec 2009
19:00
Kepplerstrasse 11, K1
Room 4.08
Holger Kehne is a German architect based in London. He is director of Plasma Studio and Groundlab as well as Diploma Unit Master at the Architectural Association School of Architecture.
After studying architecture at the Muenster School of Architecture, Germany from 1992 to 1995 and the University of East London between 1995 and 1998, he founded Plasma Studio with Eva Castro Iraola in 1999. The term 'Plasma' as 'Fourth State of Matter' indicates a receptive and responsive design process- a 'formation' through the coordination of forces and the involvement of dynamic parameters.
The studio is working on all scales from furniture and installations to urbanism and master planning. Starting with a range of small but challenging refurbishment projects in London between 1999 and 2002, Plasma then completed various new buildings in the Italian Dolomites where it opened a branch with partner Ulla Hell in 2002. Combining complex geometries with local materials the studio seeks to develop a new local vernacular inspired by the landscape instead of the traditional building typology. Between 2003 and 2005 Plasma worked alongside some of the most famous architects on one of the floors of Hotel Puerta America, Madrid. Plasma's floor was one of the most challenging of the 16 radically different takes and published widely. It brought the practice international attention.
Recently Plasma has been involved in large-scale mixed-use projects in China and is currently lead designer for the International Horticultural Expo in Xi'an with 37 ha and 12,000 sqm of projected buildings. The project, which opens in 2011 to approx 200,000 visitors a day, enables Plasma to develop a complete and integrated sustainable vision.
In order to specifically address the strategic scope as well as the specific demands of urban and landscape design Holger Kehne founded the practice Groundlab with Eva Castro, Eduardo Rico and Alfredo Ramirez in 2007 before winning the invited international urban competition for the new urban centre of Longgang, China.
With Plasma Studio Holger Kehne won the BD/Corus Young Architect of the Year Award and the Hot Dip Galvanising Award in 2002, the Next Generation Architects Award in 2007, and the Contract World Award in 2008. Additionally Plasma was selected for Architecture Record's Design Vanguard 2004 and Arquitectura Viva's Emergentes in 2007. Its work has been published widely: examples are Phaidon's 10x10_2 and Atlas of 21st Century Architecture, Taschen's Architecture Now, the Architectural Review, A+U, Abitare, Architektur Aktuell, Icon, Mark, Wallpaper, the New York Times, the Financial Times, El Pais among many others worldwide.
Related Link: ICD Expert Lecture Series - Winter Semester 09/10