Berlin 10625
Germany
Experimental Foundation is pleased to announce three new Fellow teams for the 2026/27 Fellowship cycle: undjurekbrüggen and AFEA Association for Ecological Architecture, Simon Jüttner and Sebastian Kofink of Buero Kofink Schels, and Luca Bazelli and Thierry Vuattoux of squadra.works. Their projects address challenges in housing, construction, materials, and collective building practices.
Platten-Bau
Architect undjurekbrüggen and AFEA Association for Ecological Architecture address Germany’s paradox of vacant housing alongside a shortage of affordable homes. Rather than demolishing vacant buildings, the project explores how prefabricated WBS 70 concrete elements can be relocated, deconstructed, transported, and reassembled where housing is needed. The research will document salvage sites and develop a manual for new configurations, alongside bio-based assemblies compatible with Gebäudetyp E. It will culminate in a 1:1 pavilion prototype, proposing an alternative to demolition and new construction. Led by Jurek Brüggen, Patrick Holzer and Caterina Ricci of AFEA. This project is an Experimental Fellowship in partnership with Bauhaus Earth.
Natural Stone Foundations
Simon Jüttner and Sebastian Kofink of Buero Kofink Schels investigate natural stone as a cement-free alternative for foundations, challenging the assumption that concrete is inevitable in underground construction. Building on a prototype using natural stone point foundations for a single-family house, the research develops and tests foundation typologies for larger buildings. It combines mapping natural stone and material leftovers with tests of stone types, cement-free mortars, and construction methods. It explores the interface between building and terrain as a space where ecological, structural, and architectural considerations shape design. The project is run in partnership with Bauhaus Earth.
A House of Their Own: Collective Self-Build
Luca Bazelli and Thierry Vuattoux of squadra.works develop a participatory building process for a small apartment house constructed together with its future inhabitants in Switzerland. Drawing on self-build experiments dating to the 1980s, the project asks how today’s specialized construction processes can become accessible to non-professionals. Through workshops and hands-on construction, the team will develop a transferable construction manual and architectural language shaped by its construction logic.
Earlier this year, Paris-based architects Thibaut Barrault and Cyril Pressacco were announced as the first Fellows of the cycle with Inhabited Thermal Delights. The project explores the transformation of 176 social housing units in Paris’s 19th arrondissement for Paris Habitat, investigating how thermal design can drive architectural transformation while placing residents’ comfort, material innovation, and the quality of existing buildings at its center. The project is supported by revalu, the European platform for smart material decisions.
A new phase for the Experimental Fellowship
The 2026/27 cycle marks a new phase for the Experimental Fellowship, with a programme structure, brand identity, and website. The Fellowship is organized around three tracks—Develop / Design / Apply—spanning research, design strategies, and the implementation and transfer of regenerative solutions.
Across all three tracks, Fellows work with Experimental Foundation’s network of partners and experts, bringing expertise, infrastructure, and pathways toward implementation.
Open Calls will be issued twice a year, in spring and fall, and announced through the Experimental Foundation newsletter, website, and Instagram.
About the Fellowship
The Experimental Fellowship advances regenerative approaches to the built environment through practice-based research, from early exploration to implementation. Fellows gain access to Experimental Foundation’s network of partners, including the think-and-make tank Bauhaus Earth and digital material platform revalu.
Jury: Prof. Jan de Vylder (ETH Zurich, A JDVIV, Ghent/Brussels), Prof. Florian Nagler (TU Munich, Nagler Architekten, Munich), Prof. Dr. Elli Mosayebi (Edelaar Mosayebi Inderbitzin; ETH Zurich), Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Christiane Sauer (Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Wurm (KU Leuven, Arup, Brussels/Berlin), Philipp Misselwitz (CEO Bauhaus Earth, Berlin), Prof. Regine Leibinger (Experimental Foundation, Barkow Leibinger, Berlin), and Chrissie Muhr (Experimental Foundation, Berlin/Basel).
Experimental Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by architect Prof. Regine Leibinger. Since 2022, the foundation has promoted sustainable architectural projects and practices that contribute to a transformative shift in the building sector. Its work supports architects in developing, testing, and implementing experimental approaches at the intersection of research, design, and building practice.
