Our Partnership
Good architecture is a team approach. It emerges from the interaction between clients, planners, specialist disciplines and users. We see ourselves as a driving force and a reliable partner throughout the entire process; internationally connected and locally rooted. More about our partnership, our locations and our team. 

The Tonhalle was converted into a concert hall in 1978 on the initiative of Helmut Hentrich and comprehensively revitalized in the early 2000s by HPP Architekten. A key focus was the improvement of the dome’s acoustics. The so-called “Klopfgeist,” or “knocking ghost” – a disturbing echo produced by the dome – was eliminated together with acoustic engineers. This was achieved through a complex system of polygonally arranged deflectors, while giving the dome its characteristic starry-sky design.

To this day, the Tonhalle remains a vibrant place for all generations – united by a shared passion for outstanding musical moments.

Images: © Tomas Riehle / Artur | © Susanne Diesner Photography

With its programme and atmosphere, the venue is designed to attract young people and introduce them playfully to music and the performing arts. Individual elements such as the spiralling staircase, the raw yet soft exposed concrete walls, a warm light installation reminiscent of water droplets, and the golden shimmering outer wall of the auditorium with its mosaic-like relief create the impression of a magical world that sparks the imagination.

“I am convinced that the memories children and young people create here will lay the foundation for their lifelong fascination with theatre. This venue is far more than a place for children: it is an architectural and spatial learning environment, a piece of living educational work,” says Remigiusz Otrzonsek, responsible HPP Senior Partner.

The ensemble at Offenbachplatz comprises four venues. Over a period of more than 14 years, they have been carefully refurbished, extended and reconfigured. To the Cologne Stages Project.

Design Excellence Down to the Smallest Detail. Design does not end with the concept. We personally accompany our projects from the initial idea through execution and handover – either as a complete commission or in selected partial services. Our ambition is excellence and reliability across all typologies and scales. A filterable overview of our oeuvre provides orientation and comparability, and illustrates how our architectural approach, typologies, and scales have evolved over decades. Our Project Typologies abd Expertise.

The Idea of "Us" Shapes our Attitude. Good architecture is a team effort. It emerges through dialogue and the interplay of clients, design professionals, specialists, and users. We see ourselves as both a source of inspiration and a reliable partner throughout the entire process – internationally connected and locally rooted. The future is shaped together, here and now. Our Team and our Offices.

Discover HPP Anew. The new website is not a showcase, but an invitation to dialogue and discovery. It supports exchange from initial research through to a concrete project brief. Explore our architectural work in an overarching project gallery and let’s start a conversation. Our Selected Current Projects and our Historical Oeuvre. 

Ensemble instead of solitary: The design deliberately breaks with the idea of a solitary opera house. Instead, it proposes a compact ensemble comprising the opera house, the Clara Schumann Music School and the music library. The result is an urban quarter with many uses that does not overwhelm the difficult, heterogeneous context of Wehrhahn, but rather organises and continues it spatially. The central element is the glass-fronted cultural gallery: as the spatial backbone, it connects all public uses and establishes a ‘third place’.

Urban space and address: A spacious forecourt defines the opera house as a public address and creates a transition between the traffic area and the cultural interior. The façade structure presents itself as calm and uniform: a curtain-like layer of stone and glass envelops the building on all sides.

Construction, acoustics and resource conservation: The reuse of the existing basement, a sophisticated interlocking of architecture, supporting structure and acoustics, and the deliberate limitation of the cubic volume enable efficient construction with reduced use of resources. This approach is also reflected in the economic efficiency: with calculated costs of around 720 million euros, the design remains well below the specified cost cap.

In the previous competition phase, the HPP design was awarded second prize, thus forming a solid basis for the further process. We look forward to the next steps!

Visualisation: © HYPS visual

At just under 50 metres in height, the high-rise makes a striking statement in the cityscape. The building defines a new entrance to the north of the campus, opposite an existing hall. The square building outline references the Goldbeck House from 1974. The generously glazed, two-storey foyer connects the existing company campus with the design as a vertical campus extension.

The high-rise is divided into three-storey clusters. Open staircases in the corners of the building create short routes and encourage interaction between the floors. These vertical connections form a spatial sequence of communal areas that winds its way through the building like a spiral and is also visible in the façade. The façade consists of three-dimensionally folded aluminium elements that create a striking appearance – an aspect that the jury particularly highlighted. On the office floors, a variety of working models are possible, ranging from activity-based working to areas for senior management and even the use of boarding house units. Above the twelve full storeys is a Sky Lounge with a wind-protected roof terrace offering views over the Goldbeck Campus, as well as Bielefeld and Ummeln.

Article in the Neue Westfälische.

Visualisation: © MOKA-Studio | Photo: © Ulrich Hartung GmbH

Following opening speeches by Nora Sophie Griefahn (Executive Director of Cradle to Cradle NGO) and Tim Janßen (Executive Director of Cradle to Cradle NGO), Guido Graul (Head of the Berlin HPP office) emphasised in his welcoming remarks how important circularity is for architectural planning. A distinctive feature of the C2C LAB is the testing of new C2C systems under real-world conditions. Three newly developed C2C-compatible floor structures demonstrate how existing standards can be precisely refined to enable the practical application of circular construction. The expansion strengthens the C2C LAB as a hub for exchange, research and collaboration, and offers new opportunities for workshops and events.

Photos: © C2C NGO

The roundabout greening was initiated by MedienHafen Düsseldorf e.V. and planned by +grün landscape architects in collaboration with HPP architects. The Helmut Hentrich Foundation supported the project, together with other companies. At the inauguration ceremony, Gerhard Feldmeyer (former Senior Partner at HPP Architects) and Jan-Claas Hake (Managing Director of +grün Landschaftsarchitekten) provided insights into the ecological significance of such green islands and their contribution to climate-resilient urban spaces. ‘With a sustainable attitude and a strong community spirit, our city can be actively changed for the better,’ emphasise Christian von Göler (Chairman of MedienHafen Düsseldorf e. V.) and Claudia Berger-Koch (Senior Partner at HPP Architects / Helmut Hentrich Foundation).

Photos: © Werft 6, Hajo Rappe | Visualisation: © HPP/grün

The HPP-projects in China also formed the basis for the dialogue: in Beijing, HPP was responsible for the design of the Xiaomi Research and Development Centre. In Hangzhou, the Alibaba Cloud Valley Park was realised, Cainiao Cloud Valley is nearing completion and work on the City Green Core of Future S&T City is ongoing.

A cultural highlight of the delegation's trip was the visit to the Forbidden City. Chancellor Merz wished Germany and China speed, strength and energy and ‘a year of cooperation and growth’.

Photos: © BPA/Bergmann

Both schools enable both collaborative and individual learning. Grouped around an atrium, two clusters on one floor form a learning house. A differentiated colour and material concept aids orientation: green characterises the Montessori School, while the Anne Frank School is given a warm red tone. The communal buildings are designed in wood and natural colours and are perceived as a connecting element.

The central campus area connects the two schools and creates a lively meeting place with forecourts, terraces and recreational areas. Trees frame the grounds, and the renaturalised Röthenbach stream in the middle of the site forms an important element of the open space, which is accessible not only to students but also to local residents.

Visualisations: © Flooer

The entire complex will feature office space covering an area of around 115,000 square metres. The various structures are offset and overlap towards the top, while the vertical design of the façades ensures a uniform overall appearance for the Lujiazui ensemble. Precisely positioned recesses in the structures also create terraces and patios for users. In the centre of the complex is a wide public corridor on the podium level, and a pedestrian bridge connects the commercial areas in the west with the adjacent residential buildings in the east.

Photos: © AST Studio

To further strengthen the successful development of the Project Management division and expand its market position, the Senior Partnership of HPP Architekten GmbH has appointed Katharina Förderer-Marx to the management board of HPP Projektmanagement GmbH as of 1 January 2026.

As an equal Managing Director, Katharina Förderer-Marx will jointly assume responsibility for the company’s growth strategy together with Steffen Huhn. With her expertise, she will drive acquisition and further develop the company’s structures, thereby laying the foundations for sustainable growth and successful partnerships.

Photo: © Chris Rausch

The discussion focused on partnership – the principle of success that has sustained HPP for many generations and whose foundations were laid by Helmut Hentrich with a ‘culture of cooperation’ for the architectural partnership. A guiding principle that is more relevant today than ever and has now been continued in the fifth generation since the company was founded. Whether it's landmark projects or new challenges, the goal at HPP is always a shared one, not an individual one, because partnership is not a static model but a dynamic principle that combines creativity and entrepreneurial spirit and continues across generations. This is how the context-related works that HPP has always stood for are created.

The discussion was framed by introductory remarks by Burkhard Junker (Managing Director HPP) and inspiring memories of Helmut Hentrich by Joachim Faust (Managing Director HPP until 2020). Dr. Daniela Antonin (Director of the Düsseldorf Hetjens Museum) enriched the evening with a lively short presentation that addressed the close and enduring connection between the HPP office and the city's cultural institutions.

Photos: © HPP Architekten

Our design for the opera house of the future – an ensemble comprising the opera, the Clara Schumann Music School and the music library – is an open cultural quarter for the entire city. A venue that is constantly changing and characterised by a spirit of experimentation. The future opera house consists of a triad of well-proportioned cubes that blend into the urban context. A striking stage tower gives the building charisma and makes its cultural significance visible even from a distance. A new opera forecourt with stage effect is being created at Am Wehrhahn: a field of water and fog jets creates atmospheric moments, invites interaction and draws attention directly to the entrance of the opera house. The heart and connecting element is the cultural passage: it links the various functions on all levels, from the opera and music school to rehearsal rooms and the music library to the green opera Gardens on the rooftops. As an open, inviting vertical sequence of spaces, it creates visibility and participation in the various areas. Displays provide insights into the inner world, for example into the workshops or the side stage.

Anyone interested in seeing the winning designs can visit the auditorium of the Düsseldorf Opera House on Tuesday, 18 November, from 7:30 p.m. The award-winning entries are the focus of the ‘Forum Opera House of the Future’ event series. At the same time, an exhibition of all competition entries will open at 34OST on 18 November. The exhibition will run until 7 December.

Visualisations: © brick visual | © HYPS visual
 

ONE PLAZA, realised for MOMENI, is based on a triangular floor plan with a modular façade that creates a striking identity and gives the building high visibility at the northern entrance to Düsseldorf city centre. A green retreat has been created in the inner courtyard: Three Scots pines, over 30 years old and up to 25 metres tall, form the centrepiece of the Forest Home concept – a symbol of a feel-good atmosphere in an urban space. Together with our landscape architecture team from +grün, we have created spacious outdoor areas and green roof terraces that promote urban resilience and biodiversity while also offering space for relaxation and socialising. 

Photos: © Ralph Richter 

For Arrow Global Germany GmbH with Joint Partner Hamburg Team, HPP Architects have realised a residential block that focuses on clear structures, diverse forms of living and a differentiated roof landscape. The staggered upper floors create spacious terraces and roof gardens as green retreats in the middle of the city. The relief-like brick façade gives the building a striking presence and references the listed chapel in the centre of the quarter. 

"The chapel was our starting point for materials and colours," says Thomas Heimowski, Associate Partner at HPP. "We wanted a façade that respects history while also showcasing contemporary architecture." 

There is a short interview about the project with Thomas Heimowski on KS's YouTube channel 

Photos: © Oliver Schuh / Palladium Photodesign 

In recent years, the demands for modern, legally sound, and strategically oriented contract design have increased significantly. At the same time, the number of general planning procedures has seen a substantial rise. To effectively address these complex challenges already during the proposal phase, it is essential to complement the team with specialized knowledge, experience, and a deep understanding of procedural and company-specific structures.

Stephan Kauert, Partner at HPP Architekten GmbH and Managing Director of HPP Generalplanung, together with the HPP Senior Partnership, has therefore decided to bring Alfred Schwab back to HPP as an experienced contract manager and former managing director.

In his role as additional Managing Director, Alfred Schwab will relieve Stephan Kauert in his capacity as partner, thereby creating space for strategic alignment, coordination, and oversight of general planning projects on site.

As part of a talk on the topic of ‘Revitalize the Castle,’ Remigiusz Otrzonsek (Senior Partner at HPP) spoke on Saturday with Sarah Hutt (Monument Planning Engineer at Hutt), Holger Schödder (Deputy Chairman of the Castle Building Association), Gregor Ahlmann (Director of the Castle Museum) and Philipp Reinsdorf (Head of the Castle Renovation Department at the City of Solingen) about the challenges and special moments that arose during the revitalization of this important medieval landmark. ‘When revitalising a castle, we encounter many unexpected challenges – but it is precisely these that make the process unique. It is a special task for us to preserve history and at the same time create spaces for the future,’ explains Remigiusz Otrzonsek. On Sunday, 3,400 citizens explored the castle, which now shines in new splendour, during a Discovery Day. 

From Wednesday, 10 September, Burg Castle will be open to visitors during regular opening hours. The new exhibition is still under construction and is expected to be open to the public in November. 

Photos: © HPP Architekten 

Team: Shenzhen General Institute of Architectural Design and Research Co., Ltd (SZAD), AREP, HPP Architects | landscape design: AUBE 

Photos: ©Zhang Taotao 

The interior design underlines the bank's corporate identity: with an interplay of wood, metal and leather materials and predominantly warm colours in the internal space. The podium leads from an open and bright lobby to an integrated conference zone; in the high-rise building, floors with dynamic workstations lead to refined executive offices. In the two-storey lobby, the focus is on the material stone: instead of a typical front-facing reception desk, the lobby is divided by a 30-metre-long element façade made of stone with a sculptural, monolithic stone counter as the reception desk. Another special feature is the sculptural spiral staircase that connects three executive floors with the Runyin Terrace - a representative communication area for meetings and negotiations.

Photos: © AST Studio

We would like to thank the jury of the German Design Council for the award and the words of praise from the protocol ‘(...) heylo impressively demonstrates how sustainable architecture and brand work can merge into a harmonious whole’ and congratulate the client PIMCO Prime Real Estate GmbH and all those involved in the project on this success!

Photos: © Ralph Richter

Visualisations: © B.C. Horvath

Photos/Visualisation: © WIN.DN + HPP Architekten