Contact
Manuel Herz Architekten
Schützenmattstrasse 11
CH — 4051 Basel
+41 61 262 0172
News
19.03.2024
Ground Breaking Osaka Pavilion! Manuel Herz Architekten in EXPO 2025 Osaka. Osaka, Japan.
02.06.2024 & 04.06.2024
Lecture. Material Investigation. Ceramics of Italy. Neuss, Germany & Graz, Austria.
01.06.2024 - 25.08.2024
Group-Exhibition. Manuel Herz Architekten. Begin Again. Fail Better. Kunstmuseum Olten. Olten, Switzerland.
24.05.2024 - 25.05.2024
Co-organizer at BSA (Bund Schweizer Architekten) Generalversammlung 2024. Association of Swiss Architects. Basel, Switzerland.
07.05.2024
Round table discussion ETH Studio Basel - Open Access. Jacques Herzog, Roger Diener, Milica Topalovic, Christian Schmid, Manuel Herz, Emanuel Christ and many others. ETH Studio Basel. Zürich, Switzerland.
04.05.2024
Lecture. Manuel Herz. Atelier Freienstein. Glarus, Switzerland.
16.04.2024
Lecture and Mid-Term Jury. HEAD Geneve. Class of Leonid Slonimskiy / Kosmos Architects. Geneve, Switzerland.
12.04.2024
Exhibition. SAY 2023 Opening in ZAZ Bellerive. Swiss Architecture Yearbook. Featuring two Manuel Herz Architekten projects. Zurich, Switzerland.
Profile
Based in Basel, Switzerland, Manuel Herz Architekten is an architectural practice that is embedded in research, and is operating on a very wide range of typologies, locations and scales, from the architectural to the urban and territorial. Its completed projects include the Synagogue of Mainz, an apartment building „Ballet Mécanique“ in Zurich with moving facades, a social housing project with a kindergarten in Lyon, a hospital in Tambacounda in eastern Senegal, the Babyn Yar Synagogue and memorial area in Kiev, Ukraine, as well as other projects across the world. Beyond the architectural scale, Manuel Herz has been active in furniture and exhibition design, as well as in urban master planning and urban research. His projects have won numerous international design awards, have been exhibited in museums world wide, and acquired into the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), amongst others.
Manuel Herz‘s research focuses on the architecture and urbanism of migration. His book „From Camp to City: Refugee Camps of the Western Sahara“ documents how refugee camps can be places of social emancipation. At the Architecture Biennial in Venice in 2016, Manuel Herz curated and designed the National Pavilion of Western Sahara. His award-winning book „African Modernism - Architecture of Independence“ presents the architecture of countries such as Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Zambia at the time of their independence in the 1960s and 1970s. The parallel exhibition shown at the Vitra Design Museum has been touring cities in Europe, the US, and Africa. He has also co-authored the book „Nairobi - Migration Shaping the City“ and the MetroBasel Comic, an urban study of the tri-national region of Basel.
Team
Diogo Franco
Rita Häfelfinger
Manuel Herz
Carlos Martinez de la Cruz
Francesca Mautone
Kelvin SIlva
Former Collaborators
Penny Alevizou / Moussa Belkacem / Clément Blaszczyk / Michelle Brunner / Fernando Diaz / Matthias Fehrenbach / Paulina Frankowska / François de Font-Réaulx / Maxim Gabai / Angeliki Giannisi / Johannes Hirsbrunner / Marina Karova / Kornelia Kupsc / Elitsa Lacaze / Alejandro Lopez Ramos / Natasha Maglov / Claudia Melchor del Rio / Hania Michalska / Marta Montero / Benjamin Olschner / Isabella Pagliuca / Jonas Popp / Emmanuelle Raoul / Cornelia Redeker / Sven Röttger / Peter Sandmann / Michael Scheuvens / Stefan Schöch / Alexis Schulman / Sonja Starke / Moritz Werner
Jobs
Please send your applications including a CV and portfolio in PDF to
Any printed applications sent by physical mail cannot be returned.
Awards
Wallpaper: Best Public Building Award (Babyn Yar Synagogue), 2022
Zumtobel Award for Sustainability (Tambacounda Hospital), 2021
1. Prize Materialpreis 2021 (Tambacounda Hospital), 2021
Dezeen Public Vote Award for the best cultural building 2021 (Babyn Yar Synagogue), 2021
Red Dot Award, for Food Shaping Kyoto Exhibition Design at Vitra Design Museum, 2020
Acquisition to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (tapestry Manuel Herz and the National Union of Sahrawi Women), 2016
Golden Dragon at the Bi-City Biennial of Urbanism\Architecture Shenzhen and Hong Kong (on Refugee Camps of the Western Sahara), 2016
Nomination for the Mies van der Rohe Award for European Architecture (Synagogue Mainz), 2011
1. Prize, German Facade Awards 2011 (Synagogue Mainz), 2011
Distinction, Architecture Prize Rhineland-Palatinate (Synagogue Mainz), 2011
Culture Prize “Kunst und Ethos” (Art and Ethos, Synagogue Mainz), 2010
Member of the advisory body to the “Foundation of Building Culture of the Federal Republic of Germany”, 2004
German Concrete Prize 2004 ( ‚Legal / Illegal’ in Cologne), 2004
1. Prize of the ,Plan 03’ (architecture exhibition in Cologne), 2003
1. Prize of the Cologne Architecture Award 2003 (‚Legal / Illegal’ in Cologne), 2003
Ceramic Innovation Award from the German Ceramic Industry (for the ceramic facade of the Synagogue Mainz), 2001
Writings
To Life – The Babyn Yar Synagogue. in: U. Frohne et.al, (ed) Counter – Monuments Memory Practices in Public Space; transcript Verlag 2024
The Cruel Noise of the War. in: L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, AA477, 2022
The Test Façade School Or: Serendipity in Tambacounda. in: Cristina Bechtler, Finn Canonica (eds.): Thinking in Thin Air, Lars Müller Publishers, 2019
Nation Weaving. in: Faktur, Issue 1, Fall 2018
How Trees lost their Innocence. in: Ephemeral Urbanism (catalogue of exhibition at the Architecture Museum Munich), 2017
From Camp to City: ‘Permanent is not the opposite of temporary’. in: Architectural Review, London, May 2017
A Tale of Three Towers: Buildings Building Nations. in: Architectural Review, London, May 2017
A Capital in Exile. in: Disegno, Winter 2016/17
I campi per rifugiati del Sahara Occidentale. in: Lotus 158, Milan, 2015
Les Camps Sahraouis - Préfiguration de l’État. in: Un Monde de Camps (ed. Michel Agier), La Découverte, Paris, 2014
Wohnen auf Abruf? Leben in den Flüchtlingscamps der Westsahara. in: Arch Plus, No. 218, Winter 2014
Refugee Camps of the Western Sahara. in: Humanity, Volume 4, No. 3, Winter 2013
Flüchtlingslager als Urbaner Testfall?. in: Der Baumeister; München, April 2013
Die von Dir Geliebten. in: Die Schum Gemeinden Speyer Worms Mainz auf dem Weg zum Welterbe, Regensburg, 2013
Globalisierung bedeutet nicht Gleichmacherei. in: Basler Zeitung, 17.01.2012
A Four-Singlefamily-House – Or A Single-Fourfamily-House. in: HHF Architects, Archlife Publishers, Seoul, 2012
Schlafe ruhig, biederes Deutschland. in: Der Baumeister; München, Februar 2012
Licht der Diaspora: Rainer Hübsch im Gespräch mit Manuel Herz. in: Gebauter Aufbruch; Schnell + Steiner, Regensburg, 2010
Stadtplanung als Instrument der Basler Kulturpolitik. in: Basler Zeitung, 24.11.2009
The World’s Last Colony - The Western Sahara and it’s Refugee Camps. in: Volume, Feb, 2009
The Vernacular, or: Towards a New Brutalism. in: Architecture and Identity, edited by Peter Herrle, Lit Verlag, Berlin, 2008
Integration or Separation - Refugee Camps in Southern Chad. in: Open House International, London, Vol 33, No. 2, 2008
Flüchtlingslager sind temporäre Städte. in: Bessere Zukunft? Ed. Friedrich v. Borries, Matthias Böttger, Merve, Berlin, 2008
Somali Refugees in Eastleigh, Nairobi. in: Instant Cities (Ed. Herbert Wright); black dog publishing, London, 2008
Refugee Camps or Ideal Cities in Dust and Dirt. in: Urban Transformation (Ed. I. & A. Ruby) Ruby Press, Berlin, 2008
Eruv-Urbanism: Towards an Alternative ‚Jewish Architecture’ in Germany. in: Jewish Topographies, (Ed. J. Brauch et. al.) Ashgate, London, 2008
Somali Flüchtlinge in Eastleigh, Nairobi. in: Stadt-Bauwelt “Keine Slums”, Nr. 176, Dez. 2007
Flüchtlingslager im Tschad. in: Stadt-Bauwelt “Wir Flüchtlinge”, Nr. 172, Dez. 2006
Research Architecture. in: Arch Plus, No. 178, 2006
Verborgen hinter einer bunten Fassade. in: Matz, Reinhard (Hg.): Fassade.Köln.2; Emons Verlag, 2006
Neuferts Bauwentfurslehre im Britischen High Court. mit Robert Jan van Pelt, in: 70 Jahre Neufert Bauentwurfslehre, Viehweg, Wiesbaden, 2006
Das Institutionalisierte Experiment. in: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 21.05.2005
Siedlung – Lager – Gefängnis. in: Der Architekt, Bonn, Sept. 2004
Court Jester: Politics of „Jewish Architecture“ in Germany. in: Jewish Social Studies, Vol 11, No. 4, Indiana University, 2004
Against Negotiation. in: Catalogue for the German Pavillon of the Venice Biennale for Architecture, September 2004
Für einen neuen Brutalismus. in: Build, Wuppertal, Juni 2004
600.000. in: 10 + 5 = Gott, Jüdisches Museum und DuMont; 2004
Temporary Eruv Shelter. in: Unschärferelationen, H.M.Nelte, Wiesbaden, 2002
Schwedischer Pass mit Deutschem Akzent. in: So einfach war das – Jüdische Jugend in Deutschland seit 1945, DuMont; Berlin, 2002
A Louvre of Suburbia. in: „ROOM 5 – The London Consortium“ mit Eyal Weizman und Rafi Segal; London, 2002
Von der Wüste zur Stadt. with E. Weizman, in: Jüdischer Almanach, Suhrkamp Verlag, 2000
Walking is Reading. with E. Weizman, in: ‘City Levels’, Birkhäuser, 2000
Verfremdete Objekte - Klassisches Jüdisches Recht als Model für Städtebauliches Vorgehen. in: Gestalt; Anabas Verlag; Stuttgart; 2000
Between City and Desert - The Eruv as an Evolution of an Architectural Sign. with Eyal Weizman; in: AA-Files 34; London, 1997
Selected Press
Books
10 + 5 = Gott: Die Macht der Zeichen Paperback by Daniel Tyradellis, Michal S. Friedlander, Jüdisches Jüdisches Museum Berlin, 04.2004
70 Jahre Bauentwurfslehre Neufert: eine Anthologie zur Bauentwurfslehre von Ernst Neufert, 2006
Architekturführer Deutschland Yorck Förster, Christina Gräwe, Peter Cachola, 01.2016
Architecture and Identity Peter Herrle, Erik Wegerhoff, 2008
BEEHAVE Ines Goldbach, Ines Tondar, Groenlandbasel Visuelle Gestaltung, Basel, Verlag für moderne Kunst, Wien, 2018
Building After Auschwitz: Jewish Architecture and the Memory of the Holocaust. Gavriel D. Rosenfeld, 11.2011
constellation.s. habiter le monde Michel Lussault, Francine Fort, Michel Jacques, Fabienne Brugère, Guillaume le Blanc, 10.2017
Entscheidungen: Architekturpreis Rheinland-Pfalz Architektenkammer Rheinland-Pfalz, 2011
Gebauter Aufbruch. Neue Synagogen in Deutschland Reinhard Hübsch, Manuel Herz, Ulrich Knufinke, Peter Waldmann, Hermann-Josef Ehrenberg, 02.2010
Jewish Social Studies Volume 11, Number 3, Spring/Summer 2005 (New Series), 2005
Jüdischer Almanach. Orte und Räume Gisela Dachs, 2001
Re-Living the City. UABB 2015 Catalogue. Aaron Betsky, Alfredo Brillembourg, Hubert Klumpner, Doreen Heng Liu, 12.2016
So einfach war das: Jüdische Kindheit und Jugend in Deutschland seit 1945, 10.2002
Swiss Architecture Yearbook 2023 Pediatric Hospital Tambacounda / Babyn Yar Synagogue Kyiv, 2023
Transformabilität moderner Architektur Gaetano Licata, 2005
Urban Transformation Ilka & Andreas Ruby, 01.2008
Newspapers
The New York Times In Zurich, a Building That Dances 14.08.2018 / Should New York City Keep Outdoor Dining?, 17.11.2021 / ‘Architecture of Independence’ in Africa’s Fast-Growing Cities, 16.03.2024
The Guardian The forgotten masterpieces of African modernism, 01.03.2015 / Afro modernism: Africa's avant-garde architecture boom – in pictures, 01.03.2015 / Venice architecture biennale 2016 – ideas for real world problems 29.05.2016 / Bauhaus in Africa: the hospital in sweltering Senegal inspired – and funded – by the Albers, 11.11.2021
Financial Times The philanthropic genius of Josef and Anni Albers, 22.02.2021
Die Zeit "Wieso nicht Asylbewerberheime mit Studentenwohnheimen?", 03.08.2015 / Postleitzahl: 26000, 20.09.2023
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Der religiöse Dreiklang wird wiederhergestellt, 14.08.2008 / Am Ende siegt das Wort, 03.09.2010 / Abriss der Gesellschaft, 22.05.2021 / Rückkehr in prominente Lage, 25.01.2024
Basler Zeitung Diese Basler Bauten schreiben Geschichte, 18.09.2023 / Urban Studies: Es war alles ganz anders gedacht, 13.12.2023
Süddeutsche Zeitung Architektur kann glücklich machen, 27.05.2016 / "Ein Gebäude, das das Leben zelebriert", 27.09.2021
Journals / Magazines
a+u Manuel Herz Legal/Illegal Architecture, 2009:06 / Manuel Herz Architects Jewish Community Center of Mainz, 2011:12
ABITARE Mechanical Dance, 21.06.2018 / A hospital in Senegal, 29.04.2021
ARCH+ Rights on Carpet, 07.2018
architektur. aktuell the art of building. Babyn Yar Synagogue, 11.2021
archithese. Für die Ukraine. Für Europa. Eine Mail aus Kiew, 2022 / Trotzdem Hoffnung, 2022
ARKETIPO. ARCHITETTURA DEL FARE. Culto. Babyn Yar Synagogue, 2023
Arquitectura Viva 134 Caligrafia Talmudica, una sinagoga en Alemania, 10.2010 / 242: Babyn Yar Synagogue. Mainz Synagogue, 03.2022
Bauwelt Neue Synagoge in Mainz, 37.2010 / „Ich habe Zweifel gegenüber einigen Symbolen.“, 37.2010 / „Wir müssen Flüchtlingen mehr zutrauen“, 48.2015
Beaux Arts Magazine 454: Les 15 architectures les plus innovantes et spectaculaires de l'année, Babyn Yar Synagogue, 2022
CASABELLA 925: Babyn Yar Synagogue, 2021 / 931: Tambacounda Pediatric and Maternity Hospital, 2022 / 940: Manuel Herz Anthology, 2022
DETAIL. Wohn- und Geschäftshaus in Köln-Bayenthal, 2005 / A Dancing Façade: Ballet Mécanique by Manuel Herz, 08.2019 / Combined Effort for Healthcare Provision: Hospital in Tambacounda by Manuel Herz Architects, 09.2021
dezeen. Perforated-brick school created from hospital test facade in Senegal, 2020 / Manuel Herz Architects creates synagogue that opens like a pop-up book, 2021 / "The whole thing feels quite magical" says commenter, 2021 / Manuel Herz encloses curvilinear hospital in Senegal with lattice brickwork, 2021 / Video shows pop-up synagogue in Ukraine unfolding like a book, 2021
DIVISARE. Babyn Yar Synagogue, Manuel Herz Architects, 2021 / Tambacounda Hospital, Manuel Herz Architects, 2021
DOMUS. Western Sahara Pavilion, 06.2016 / Rights on Carpet, 03.2017 / Best of #March, 04.2017 / Best of textile, 06.2017
german-architects. Material als zeitliche und geografische Klammer, 2022
FRAME MANUEL HERZ EQUIPS A SENEGALESE HOSPITAL WITH A SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE FACILITY 05.2021
HOLCIM. Manuel Herz. Building Conversations, 2021
icon Jewish Community Centre by Manuel Herz 01.2011 / Manuel Herz designs ‘symbolic synagogue’ in Ukraine, 2021
swiss-architects. Sprachlosigkeit, Benommenheit, Ohnmacht: Manuel Herz über die Angriffe auf Babyn Yar, 2022 / Die Synagoge von Babyn Yar steht für Verletzlichkeit, 2022 / Zwischen Tradition und Innovation: Eine neue Siedlung für Bandrefam, 2023
L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui 424: Focus: Manuel Herz, 05.2017
t-art magazine. Memory, History, and Diaspora in Ukraine: Manuel Herz On The Babyn Yar Synagogue. 2022
TEC21 – Schweizerische Bauzeitung. Nachbarn über Kontinente. Tambacounda Pediatric and Maternity Hospital. 2023
The Architectural Review African Modernism: Nation Building 05.2024 / From camp to city: ‘Permanent is not the opposite of temporary’, 05.2017
Wallpaper. Ukraine’s moving Babyn Yar Synagogue by Manuel Herz 08.2022 / Manuel Herz’s Tambacounda Hospital in Senegal is rooted in community, 09.2022 / Ballet Mécanique by Manuel Herz is Zurich housing with a twist, 08.2022
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