A pavilion presents itself Meinhard von Gerkan's Architecture Pavilion celebrates its 25th anniversary

One of the most distinctive buildings at Technische Universität Braunschweig is the Architecture Pavilion in the courtyard of the Historic Main Building. Built a quarter of a century ago on the initiative of the renowned architect Professor Meinhard von Gerkan, it is now celebrating its 25th anniversary. To mark the anniversary, an exhibition focusing on the pavilion itself is being held. On display are designs and materials relating to the history of this striking building, as well as memories from alumni and architectural drawings by current students. The opening will take place on 2 February in the Architecture Pavilion.

Since its completion in 2000, the pavilion has been an integral part of campus life. Former students have nicknamed the building the “cucumber jar”, and it has repeatedly brought students, teaching staff and the public together in recent years for lectures, awards ceremonies, bachelor’s and master’s presentations, and exhibitions. Designed by Professor Meinhard von Gerkan and his team, including Christiane Kraatz, Patrik Dierks, Peter Glaser, Hans Joachim Paap and Wilhelm Springmeier, at the Institute for Building Design A, the light-filled cube is made of exposed concrete, steel and glass.

A place for the Braunschweig School

“A place for the Braunschweig School” – this was the title given to the Architecture Pavilion when it opened on 26 June 2000. According to an obituary published by the university on the architect, who died in 2022, no one else embodied the myth of the “Braunschweig School” as much as von Gerkan. This architectural doctrine emerged after the Second World War at the former Technische Universiät Braunschweig, shaping the appearance of numerous cities in northern Germany. Meinhard von Gerkan, who studied in Braunschweig and wrote his diploma thesis under Dieter Oesterlen, was part of the next generation of the “Braunschweig School”. In 1974, he accepted a professorship in the Department of Design, which he held until 2002. In spring 2000, the Architecture Pavilion was completed, partly financed by a donation from the architect.

With a floor area of 15 by 15 metres, the building follows a clear geometric concept. A bridge connects the staircase landing of the Historic Main Building to the gallery level of the pavilion. An open staircase leads from here to the courtyard level. Wide double doors open onto the green inner courtyard. It is precisely this openness that characterises the building. During social events, the boundaries between inside and outside become blurred. The exterior of the pavilion, with its glass bridge façade, changes appearance depending on the time of day and the angle of the light: it is dazzlingly reflective during the day and a glowing cube at night.

“The pavilion brought architectural teaching to the centre of the university. To this day, it serves as a place for exchange and for showcasing student work,” says Hans Joachim Paap, former employee at the Institute for Building Design and partner at gmp Architekten von Gerkan, Marg und Partner.

10 commandments of design

The current exhibition, a collaboration between the Institute for Design Methodology and Representation (IMDR) at TU Braunschweig, gmp Architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners, and the von Gerkan family, focuses on the pavilion itself. It looks back on its history and also presents current perspectives. Photographs, designs, memories and Meinhard von Gerkan’s “10 Commandments of Design” are on display. His best-known projects include Berlin-Tegel Airport, Berlin Central Station and Lingang New City (now Nanhui New City) in China. To provide context, the exhibition also features images, plans and sketches of three other gmp projects: the Christus Pavilion, which was built at the same time as the exhibition pavilion; the “Room of Silence” in the terminal of Berlin Brandenburg Airport; and the conversion of the Hyparschale Magdeburg.

Another focus of the exhibition is on the work of first-year Architecture students. With the Architecture Pavilion as their first object of study, their drawings show that they have virtually completed their enrolment in their studies in the anniversary year. Here, sketches, lines, constructed floor plans, sections, axonometric projections and perspectives become instruments of vision: they sharpen the eye for the proportions, atmosphere and spatial relationships of a building that is often taken for granted in everyday life.

The Architecture Pavilion in 25 years

“We understand drawing as a creative practice of knowledge that ranges from free sketching to precise construction. In free drawing and sketching, students sharpen their perception and selection. In constructed drawing, they learn to develop spatial relationships from a few abstract pieces of information. Both forms intertwine and together form the basis of creative judgement,” says Professor Fahim Mohammadi, Head of the Institute for Design Methodology and Representation.

To complement the exhibition, selected works by Master’s students offer speculative visions of the future of the Architecture Pavilion. Titled “Pavilion FUTUR2”, the students have designed graphic posters imagining possible architectural, social and communicative developments of the pavilion over the next 25 years. These open scenarios use drawing, colour and text to creatively and atmospherically communicate future states, conversions or extensions of the pavilion.

The exhibition invites visitors to rediscover the pavilion as an architectural object, a place of exchange and a space for conscious perception and graphic exploration.

Exhibition “A pavilion exhibits itself – 25 years of the TU Braunschweig Architecture Pavilion”

Opening
2 February 2026, 18:00

Architecture Pavilion of TU Braunschweig, inner courtyard of the Historic Main Building, Pockelsstraße 4

Welcoming remarks
Prof. Dr. Angela Ittel, President of TU Braunschweig

Prof. Fahim Mohammadi, Head of the Institute for Design Methodology and Representation

Panel discussion
with former institute employees Hans Joachim Paap (gmp partner), Christiane Kraatz, Patrik Dierks and Peter Glaser, as well as Wilhelm Springmeier

Moderator: Detlef Jessen-Klingenberg

Additional opening hours:
3 to 6 February 2026, 10:00 to 19:00 each day. Admission free.