Many of our projects have their roots in urban planning. We strive to rearrange urban centres and create clear places and space hierarchies. Built on this robust foundation, buildings and ensembles can develop anew and individually. Our goals are functioning intersections and a convincing interaction of new developments with the existing.

We do not consider tasks that are confined within a developed, urban context with its restrictions, historical context a limitation; far more we see it to be a challenge and source to inspire our creativity. JSWD is able to win competitions when the requirement is to re-arrange complex and demanding inner-city zones and intersections in particular.

The longevity of our projects – not only in terms of construction but also function and design – is an integral part of JSWD’s identity. Conceptual clarity, the restrained use of formal means both on a large scale and in terms of architectural details (“economy of means”), the connection to the surrounding location, and the attention paid to the needs of the user all result in individual solutions with character and permanence.

In addition to an architecture that is inherently sustainable due to its longevity, we are also aware of the building industry’s responsibility in terms of achieving national and European climate goals. This is why our aim is to expand and sharpen our focus on the criteria for sustainable buildings and urban spaces that have already proven to be effective in many of our projects.

We see the reduction of harmful greenhouse gas emissions as closely linked to our active work. For this reason, we continuously evaluate and fine-tune our processes in terms of sustainable planning and construction while also taking the entire building life cycle into account.

With regard to energy efficiency and sustainability criteria, we integrate the synchronous development of the building structure, technology, and envelope into our planning at an early stage. Our aim is to obtain relevant certifications, for example from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), or in accordance with the Passive House Institute’s PHPP Standard.

Built Examples:
Confex, Koelnmesse, Cologne: DGNB Platin 
Curve Offices, Düsseldorf: WiredScore, DGNB Gold
Office Quarter Neuer Kanzlerplatz, Bonn: LEED Gold
Headquarter Q1, Thyssenkrupp Quartier in Essen: DGNB Gold
Headquarter der Enervie in Hagen: LEED Gold
Office Building VIVAWEST in Gelsenkirchen: KfW-70-Standard
Business Center THE ICON VIENNA: LEED Platin

The endeavor for conceptual and formal clarity, independent of scale, takes priority as far as each JSWD construction project is concerned. We develop the identity of our designs from the specifics of the situation, the location, the function as well as from our claim to reflect the self-image of the client expressed in the sense of an individual Corporate Architecture. Best-case scenario: we create an inspiring and identifying symbol of the culture a company lives and breathes.

At JSWD, we design buildings that meet the diverse challenges of sustainable healthcare architecture.
By taking the needs of different user groups into account, we create the conditions for an inclusive healthcare facility.
A clear but flexible spatial organization with short distances optimizes all functional processes and at the same time makes it easier for patients and visitors to find their way around. Our concepts guarantee space-efficient organization, intelligent building technology and the use of durable, long-lasting materials. Resource-efficient and sustainable energy concepts help to reduce manufacturing and maintenance costs as well as minimize potential environmental impact. In this way, we create buildings that are economical and therefore sustainable in the long term.
By focusing on the needs of patients, we create spaces that make them feel comfortable, which can contribute to the success of their treatment. In addition, we naturally aim to create a positive working environment for employees, thereby promoting their satisfaction and motivation.

As architects and interior designers, we realize a comprehensive corporate architecture, extending to individual interior design. In this context, we consider our role to involve both planning and extensive consultation.
Already in the early stages of a project, we set high standards for functional and aesthetic quality in close coordination with our client.
Based on the incorparation of our clients' wishes and a deep analysis of the user base, we determine the spatial and functional layout, as well as the detailed interior design. The natural correspondence between the interior and exterior creates conceptually strong environments with a powerful identity. Through flexible space utilization, we enable adaptability to future needs.

If desired, we also act as general planners. We can combine under our directorship all planning required for the construction, including project management. This enables the client to communicate with only one person who is responsible for all issues concerning the overall project. Coordination and organisational aspects thus may be reduced to a minimum while consistently assuring high quality. While planning we communicate with specialist engineers who know our working techniques and have proven reliable over many years of cooperation. Construction projects of various type and sizes evolve under our planning supervision.

At our office, we have established our own BIM standards, including our own manual, libraries, templates, and database. We always opt to use our in-house standards for all projects during service phases 1 through 5. All components are adapted to our planning requirements and are designed accordingly (e.g. materiality, dimensions, fire resistance class, etc.). For all projects, starting from service phase 5 (technical design), the components are given additional attributes or exchanged with objects from our library. This process requires approval from the owner and is carried out in accordance with the specified scope of work. It also serves as the basis for further planning (as regards the geometry and depth of information).

JSWD plans and manages projects of varying size. BIM is used for planning all building projects starting from the very first phase (strategic definition). As an architecture firm, we design and construct public buildings as well as projects for private investors.

When it comes to public projects, we are legally obligated to plan and tender buildings in a product-neutral way, and our standard components are well suited to this requirement. When planning projects for private investors, we can use branded products from online databases (like BIMobject) in order to use product components alongside our standard components. We check the product components for quality, detail depth, and information depth before they are used by our BIM team (BIM Coordinators, Overall Coordinators, Specialist Coordinators). The agreed-upon BIM execution plan (BAP) that was approved by the owner determines which BIM application cases (e.g. facility management) will be used for planning and which BIM package will be delivered.