Zwei Zimmer, eine Stadt

Architecture of the past twenty years has had to respond to contradictory requirements: on the one hand, it had to be scaled back in order to provide neutral structures open for a variety of uses. On the other, it had to present inimitable, eye-catching objects with a unique design and high recall value. Pursuant to the idea of “specific neutrality” and strategic key terms such as “low cost monuments” or “Ikea classicism,” Atelier Kempe Thill has continually come up with new solutions that, despite times of upheaval and increasing costs, still manage to recall the legacy of European architecture in a powerful, natural, and innovative way. Today, the office, founded in Rotterdam in 2000 by André Kempe (*1968 in Freiberg) and Oliver Thill (*1971 in Chemnitz), has about fifteen employees. This publication illuminates the architects’ distinct approach based on very personal and not always politically correct statements with respect to selected projects from the past twelve years.