STUTTGART, 15 January 2026
CREATING HOMES | Innovative, social and sustainable housing projects
In 2026, the JUNG Architecture Talks are celebrating their 20th anniversary. Building networks, gaining insights, enjoying inspiring talks and engaging in professional discussions in a relaxed atmosphere – this is what our format stands for, now and in the future.
On 15 January, the Architecture Talks took place in Stuttgart for the 14th time. This year’s evening at the Staatsgalerie was held under the motto Creating Homes. We invited three renowned German architecture practices whose work focuses on innovative, social and sustainable housing projects.
Our keynote-speaker was Antje Freiesleben from the Berlin-based architecture office Modersohn & Freiesleben. She presented the “House in the Park” project – a contemporary timber-hybrid building situated on a park-like site in Berlin-Pankow, designed for people with physical and cognitive disabilities. From Cologne, we welcomed architects Sven Aretz and Jakob Dürr of Aretz Dürr Architektur. With their modular housing project “Wohnen F // 9,” located in the dense fabric of Cologne’s old town, they are among the finalists for the DAM Prize 2026. Last but not least, we were pleased to welcome architects Gesche Bengtsson, Elena Masla and Zora Syren from the young Munich-based office etal.. Their “Robust House,” a multi-generational residential building on Görzer Straße, marks the first new-build project by the Mietshäuser Syndikat in the Bavarian capital and has been recognised, among other honours, with the Bauwelt Award “Das erste Haus".
The evening was hosted by Petra Stephan, editor-in-chief of the architecture magazine AIT.
On 15 January, the Architecture Talks took place in Stuttgart for the 14th time. This year’s evening at the Staatsgalerie was held under the motto Creating Homes. We invited three renowned German architecture practices whose work focuses on innovative, social and sustainable housing projects.
Our keynote-speaker was Antje Freiesleben from the Berlin-based architecture office Modersohn & Freiesleben. She presented the “House in the Park” project – a contemporary timber-hybrid building situated on a park-like site in Berlin-Pankow, designed for people with physical and cognitive disabilities. From Cologne, we welcomed architects Sven Aretz and Jakob Dürr of Aretz Dürr Architektur. With their modular housing project “Wohnen F // 9,” located in the dense fabric of Cologne’s old town, they are among the finalists for the DAM Prize 2026. Last but not least, we were pleased to welcome architects Gesche Bengtsson, Elena Masla and Zora Syren from the young Munich-based office etal.. Their “Robust House,” a multi-generational residential building on Görzer Straße, marks the first new-build project by the Mietshäuser Syndikat in the Bavarian capital and has been recognised, among other honours, with the Bauwelt Award “Das erste Haus".
The evening was hosted by Petra Stephan, editor-in-chief of the architecture magazine AIT.
Impressions
Photography: Tim Dornaus
ANTJE FREIESLEBEN
MODERSOHN & FREIESLEBEN, BERLIN
Antje Freiesleben, born in 1965, graduated in architecture from the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) in 1992. Two years later, she founded the architecture practice Modersohn & Freiesleben in Berlin together with Johannes Modersohn. From 1998 to 2004, she worked as a research associate at the UdK Berlin, followed by a teaching position at HafenCity University Hamburg from 2006 to 2007. She subsequently held visiting and interim professorships at Bauhaus University Weimar (2010), Università di Bologna (2018, 2024), and the University of Siegen (2017–2022). In 2007, she was awarded a scholarship by the German Academy Rome Villa Massimo / Casa Baldi.
“For us, buildings are everyday objects for living. They are conceived and built by people, for people. Our guiding principles are therefore the human scale and the building’s use. We design and build in response to the constantly changing conditions of life. There are many aspects of building that remain constant, some that change quickly, and others that emerge anew. We work on these processes – with our experience, knowledge and expertise – for the benefit of all.”
www.mofrei.de
Image: © Modersohn & Freiesleben
“For us, buildings are everyday objects for living. They are conceived and built by people, for people. Our guiding principles are therefore the human scale and the building’s use. We design and build in response to the constantly changing conditions of life. There are many aspects of building that remain constant, some that change quickly, and others that emerge anew. We work on these processes – with our experience, knowledge and expertise – for the benefit of all.”
www.mofrei.de
Image: © Modersohn & Freiesleben
SVEN ARETZ & JAKOB DÜRR
ARETZ DÜRR ARCHITEKTUR, COLOGNE
Aretz Dürr Architektur was founded in Cologne in 2019 by Sven Aretz and Jakob Dürr. Sven Aretz (b. 1988) studied architecture at RWTH Aachen University, graduating with distinction in 2016 with a Master of Science degree. Since then, he has worked as a research assistant and lecturer at the Chair of Building Construction at RWTH Aachen. Jakob Dürr (b. 1980) studied architecture at RWTH Aachen and ENSAPVS Paris. He completed his studies in 2008 with a diploma from RWTH Aachen. In 2011, he founded his own architecture office, Jakob Dürr Architekten, which merged into Aretz Dürr Architektur in 2019. Since 2016, he has also been a research assistant and lecturer at the Chair of Building Construction at RWTH Aachen.
“Our office functions as a constructive laboratory where impulses from practice, teaching, and research continuously converge. Simplicity, appropriateness, and durability meet a respectful approach to nature, the existing fabric, and building culture. In the tension between constructive form-finding, the complexity of simplicity, and the creation and enablement of high-quality living spaces, standards are critically questioned and replaced with simple solutions.”
www.aretzduerr.de
Image: © Aretz Dürr Architektur
“Our office functions as a constructive laboratory where impulses from practice, teaching, and research continuously converge. Simplicity, appropriateness, and durability meet a respectful approach to nature, the existing fabric, and building culture. In the tension between constructive form-finding, the complexity of simplicity, and the creation and enablement of high-quality living spaces, standards are critically questioned and replaced with simple solutions.”
www.aretzduerr.de
Image: © Aretz Dürr Architektur
GESCHE BENGTSSON, ELENA MASLA &
ZORA SYREN
ETAL., MUNICH
The architecture practice etal. was founded in 2021 by Gesche Bengtsson, Elena Masla and Zora Syren. After studying in Weimar, they worked in various architecture offices in Copenhagen, Berlin and Munich. They currently teach at the Technical University of Munich and the University of Stuttgart and will hold a visiting professorship at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in the summer semester of 2026. For their first project, the multi-generational house on Görzer Straße in Munich, the office was awarded the Bauwelt Prize, received a commendation in the 2025 German Architecture Award and is a finalist for the 2026 DAM Prize.
“In our work, we focus on designing adaptable spaces, questioning existing standards and working with what is already there – spatially, materially and climatically. We understand architecture primarily as a process of building on or deliberately uncovering what exists. We are interested in spatial qualities that only unfold and transform through use. Simple joining and the reduction of materials – understood as an aesthetic of pragmatism, beyond maximum comfort and technical overengineering – are central to our approach.”
www.etal.cc
Image: © Pablo Lauf
“In our work, we focus on designing adaptable spaces, questioning existing standards and working with what is already there – spatially, materially and climatically. We understand architecture primarily as a process of building on or deliberately uncovering what exists. We are interested in spatial qualities that only unfold and transform through use. Simple joining and the reduction of materials – understood as an aesthetic of pragmatism, beyond maximum comfort and technical overengineering – are central to our approach.”
www.etal.cc
Image: © Pablo Lauf
MODERATION
The event was moderated by Petra Stephan, Editor-in-Chief of the architecture magazine AIT.
AIT, the leading specialist magazine for architecture and interior architecture, emphasises the importance of interior spaces as part of a holistic architectural approach. With its content, cover design and layout, AIT places a strong focus on interior architecture ten times a year – both nationally and internationally – thereby successfully occupying a niche in the architectural press.
www.ait-xia-dialog.de
Image: © AIT
AIT, the leading specialist magazine for architecture and interior architecture, emphasises the importance of interior spaces as part of a holistic architectural approach. With its content, cover design and layout, AIT places a strong focus on interior architecture ten times a year – both nationally and internationally – thereby successfully occupying a niche in the architectural press.
www.ait-xia-dialog.de
Image: © AIT
