HHF Architects

HHF Architects is an architectural practice established in Basel, Switzerland by Tilo Herlach, Simon Hartmann, and Simon Frommenwiler, in 2003.

History

The practice has built projects in Switzerland, China, Germany, France, Mexico and the United States. Their projects encompass a broad spectrum, including new buildings like the "Labels 2"^[1] fashion center in Berlin, interior design, planning tasks like the master plans for the public spaces of the Praille-Acacias-Vernets site in Geneva and La Défense, near Paris, and the development plan for Unterfeld in Zug, Switzerland, as well as objects in the public realm like "Baby Dragon" in China or the "Espinazo del Diablo" viewing platform on the "Ruta del Peregrino" in the Mexican state of Jalisco. HHF Architects intentionally seek close and substantive collaboration with artists and other architects. It is within this context that group projects receiving worldwide attention have emerged, such as the Mexican pilgrimage route "Ruta del Peregrino"^[2] and the fruitful collaboration with the Chinese conceptual artist Ai Weiwei, which has been ongoing since 2005.

Shortly after of the office was established, the first works were already being shown at national and international architecture exhibitions. In 2005 HHF were invited to design a contribution to the "Jinhua Architecture and Arts Park" for the Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture.

Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Architekturmuseum der TU München at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, and the Heinz Architectural Center at the Carnegie Museum of Art

in Pittsburgh.

Alongside numerous other national and international distinctions, HHF was named to the "Design Vanguard 2010" by Architectural Record.[6] In 2012, HHF were distinguished with an important Wallpaper Design Award, for which they had also been nominated in 2010. HHF where honored with an American Architecture Award in 2009 and 2013.

In addition to building, architectural education is of utmost importance to the firm's principals. They were visiting professors at the University of Innsbruck, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, MIT School of Architecture and Planning in Cambridge, and have been guest lecturers at the UIA in Mexico City as well as guest critics at numerous universities worldwide. Simon Frommenwiler has been teaching as a visiting professor at École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Strasbourg from 2011 until 2018. Simon Hartmann has been teaching as professor of design at the HTA Fribourg from 2009 until 2017 and is William Henry Bishop Visiting Professor at Yale School of Architecture, 2018. Since fall 2018, Tilo Herlach, Simon Frommenwiler and Simon Hartmann are teaching at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Profile

Established 2003
Legal form: GmbH
Partners: Tilo Herlach, Simon Hartmann, Simon Frommenwiler
Managing Director and Associate: Cella Hubel
Associates: David Gregori y Ribes, Mariana Santana
Employees: 25–30 (as of September 2018)
The team consists of architects, urban designers, designers and drafters

Buildings and projects (selected)

2017 – Poissy Galore, observatory and museum in Carrières-Sous-Poissy, Paris, France, in collaboration with AWP, Paris
2016 – House H, private residence, Starnberg, Germany
2016 – Byfangweg, apartment building, Basel, Switzerland
2015 – Lichtstrasse, housing and restaurant, Basel, Switzerland
2013 – House C, private residence, Ziefen, Switzerland
2013 – Master plan for all public spaces of La Défense, Hauts-de-Seine, France, in collaboration with AWP, Paris
2011 – Master plan for the public spaces and urban mobility, Praille-Acacias-Vernets, Geneva, Switzerland
2011 – House D, Nuglar, Switzerland
2011 – Guesthouse, Ancram, New York, USA, in collaboration with Ai Weiwei
2011 – Apartment Quai de Valmy, Paris, France, in collaboration with AWP, Paris
2010 – Lookout Point on the Ruta del Peregrino, Mexico
2010 – Labels 2 Fashion Center, Berlin, Germany
2009 – Sonvida residential development, Bottmingen, Switzerland, with ARchos Architektur
2009 – Confiserie Bachmann, Basel, Switzerland
2008 – Artfarm, gallery and art storage for Chambers Fine Art, New York, USA, in collaboration with Ai Weiwei
2008 – Tsai Residence, New York, USA, in collaboration with Ai Weiwei
2008 – Overall urban concept for Saarbrücken, Germany, in collaboration with Hans Wirz, Jacques Degermann, and Joel Bertrand
2008 – Grand Traiano Art Complex, Grottaferrata, Province of Rome, Italy, in collaboration with Johnston Marklee Architects
2008 – Ordos 100, HHF House, Inner Mongolia, China
2008 – Kirschgarten Mensa, cafeteria in Kirschgarten secondary school, Basel, Switzerland
2007 – Dune House, Inner Mongolia, China
2005 – Treehouse, Guesthouse for the Waterville Golf Resort,
Yunnan Province, China, in collaboration with Ai Weiwei
(shell construction)

2005 – Baby Dragon – Pavilion for children, Jinhua Architecture Park, China
2003 – Master plan for Sonvida residential development, Bottmingen, Switzerland, in collaboration with ARchos Architektur

Distinctions (selected)

2018 – Winner of the ArchiDesignClub Award for the French Cultural Building of the Year
2017 – Inclusion in the architecture collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh
2016 – Nomination for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture "Mies van der Rohe Award"
2015 – Swiss Architecture Award, 1st Prize, in the category Housing
2014 – Inclusion in the collection of the Architecture Museum of
Technische Universität München, Pinakothek der Moderne
, Munich, Germany

2014 – Nomination for the best single family house ("Das beste Einfamilienhaus" '14) by the Swiss magazine "Das ideale Heim"

2013 – Award for excellent architecture from

Kanton Basel-Stadt

2013 – Award for the best new building from the Basel Heritage Protection
2013 – Architekturpreis Berlin, Germany
2013 – American Architecture Award for Guesthouse, Ancram, NY, USA
2013 – 1. Prize, buildings of the year 2013 award ("Häuser des Jahres 2013") by the German Architecture Museum and Callwey Verlag
2013 – Best Architects 14 Award ^[7]
2012 – WAN 21 for 21 Award ^[8]
2012 – AIT-Award 2012 for Public Buildings
2012 – Wallpaper (magazine) Design Award^[9]
2012 – Nomination for Velux Daylight Award
2011 – Inclusion in the collection
Centre Georges Pompidou
2010 – Design Vanguard Award 2010 (Chernikov Prize)
2010 – Swiss Art Awards 2010 Winner
2010 – Best Architects 11 Award ^[10]
2010 – Wallpaper (magazine) Design Award, nomination
2010 – Contractworld Award
2009 – American Architecture Award for Tsai Residence, Ancram, NY, USA
2009 – Best Architects 10 Gold Award ^[11]
2008 – Europe 40 under 40 award, European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies^[12]
2008 – Award for Best Architects 09 from the magazine Hochparterre, Swiss television and the Museum für Gestaltung (Museum for Design), Zurich
2008 – Gold Award for excellent architecture from
Kanton Basel-Stadt
, Basel, Switzerland
2008 – Best Architects 09 award ^[13]

Exhibitions (selected)

2018 – Contribution to the Luxembourg Pavilion, The architecture of a common ground, 16th Venice Biennale of Architecture, Venice, Italy
2017 – Chicago Architecture Biennial, Chicago, USA
2017 – Swiss Architects Abroad, S AM Swiss Architecture Museum, Basel
2016 – Topotek 1: Exhibition/Munich, Architekturgalerie München, Munich
2016 – Schweizweit, S AM Swiss Architecture Museum, Basel
2015 – The Swiss Architecture Award, Zurich, Switzerland
2015 – Architettura in Svizzera. Dialogo tra storia e contemporaneità, Chiostro di Palazzo Platamone, Catania, Italy
2015 – Sacri Monti e altre storie Architettura, Milano
Triennale
, Castello di Masnago, Varese, Italy
2015 – Constructing Film. Swiss Architecture in the Moving Image, S AM Swiss Architecture Museum, Basel, Switzerland
2015 – Une histoire, art, architecture et design, des années 80 à aujourd'hui,
Centre Georges Pompidou
, Paris, France
2014 – HHF—Unfinished, Architekturgalerie Munich, Germany
2014 – Architecture Week Prague, Czech Republic
2014 – Co-Curation of the Montenegro Pavilion, 14th Venice Biennale of Architecture, Venice, Italy
2014 – Greek Tourism is not in Crisis, contribution to the Greek Pavilion, 14th Venice Biennale of Architecture, Venice, Italy
2014 – CANactions 2014, Kiew, Ukraine
2014 – Show and Tell – Architekturgeschichte(n) aus der Sammlung,
Technische Universität München
2013 – Cut'n'Paste: From Architectural Assemblage to Collage City,
MOMA
, New York, USA
2013 – Lookout Architecture with a View, S AM Swiss Architecture Museum, Basel, Switzerland
2013 – Buildings of the Year 2013,
Frankfurt am Main
, Germany
2013 – Architekturpreis Berlin 2013, Labels 2, Kutscherhaus, Berlin, Germany
2013 – 14. Internationale Architektur Biennale Buenos Aires, Argentina
2013 – La Défense 2020, exhibition, Cœur Défense, Parvis de La Défense, Hauts-de-Seine, France
2013 – Monografische Ausstellung, presentation Unterfeld, Baar, Switzerland
2013 – Daueraustellung, Pavillon de l'Arsenal, Paris, France
2013 – Paris la nuit, Pavillon de l'Arsenal, Paris, France
2013 – Building Images, Photography Focusing on Swiss Architecture, S AM Swiss Architecture Museum, Basel, Switzerland
2013 – White Cube, Green Maze: New Art Landscapes, Yale School of Architecture, New Haven, USA
2012 – GLOBAL Design
NYU
London, The Building Centre, London, UK
2012 – White Cube, Green Maze: New Art Landscapes, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, USA
2012 – Invitation to the 13th Venice Biennale of Architecture, Italy
2012 – WAN 21 for 21 awards exhibition, London, UK
2012 – Ai Weiwei's Five Houses, AIA Architecture Center Houston, USA
2012 – Die 23 besten Bauten in Deutschland,
Frankfurt am Main
, Germany
2011 – Participation in the exhibition Tatiana Bilbao, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
2011 – Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria
2011 – Arquitectura Contemporánea Suiza,
Cadiz, Spain

2011 – Le PAV s’expose, Geneva, Switzerland

2010 – Swiss Art Awards, Swiss Federal Office of Culture, Basel, Switzerland

2009 – Arch/Scapes, Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism / Architecture, Hong Kong
2009 – Arch/Scapes, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
2009 – New American Architecture, Chicago, USA
2009 – Europe 40 under 40, Athens, Greece and Florence, Italy
2008 – CAUE 92 (Conseil d’architecture, d’urbanisme et de l’environnement des Hauts-de-Seine), Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, France
2008 – Arch/Scapes, Swiss Architecture Museum, Basel
2007 – Arch/Scapes, official Swiss contribution to the 7th International Architecture Biennale of São Paulo
2006 – China Contemporary, Nederlands Architecture Institute, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2005 – Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture, Shenzhen, China