Christoph Ingenhoven (born 8 March 1960) is a German

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. His major works include Lufthansa HQ in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

(2006), 1 Bligh in Sydney (2011), Marina One in Singapore (2017), Toranomon Hills Towers in Tokyo (2022), and Stuttgart Main Station (2010-).

Career

Christoph Ingenhoven was born in Düsseldorf in 1960 and studied architecture at the

RWTH Aachen RWTH Aachen University (), in German ''Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen'', is a German public research university located in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With more than 47,000 students enrolled in 144 study prog ...

from 1978 to 1984 and from 1980 to 1981 at the

Kunstakademie Düsseldorf The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf is the academy of fine arts of the state of North Rhine Westphalia at the city of Düsseldorf, Germany. Notable artists who studied or taught at the academy include Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, Blinky Palermo, Ma ...

with

Hans Hollein Hans Hollein (30 March 1934 – 24 April 2014) was an Austrian architect and designer

. In 1985, Christoph Ingenhoven founded the architecture office ingenhoven architecst in Düsseldorf, which was acquired by BKW Energie in 2019. Today, he heads his architecture studio under the name christoph ingenhoven architects with headquarters in Düsseldorf. Christoph Ingenhoven received international recognition in 1997 with the design of one of the world's first ecological high-rise buildings, the RWE Tower in

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

. Before, in 1991, the then 31-year-old Ingenhoven received a great deal of attention when he and his team competed in the international competition for the

Commerzbank Tower Commerzbank Tower is a 56-story, skyscraper in the Bankenviertel, banking district of Frankfurt, Germany. An antenna tower, antenna spire with a signal light on top gives the tower a total height of . It is List of tallest buildings in Germany ...

and shared jury prize with

Norman Foster Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank (born 1 June 1935) is an English architect. Closely associated with the development of high-tech architecture, Lord Foster is recognised as a key figure in British modernist architecture. Hi ...

. The fact that Foster was commissioned to build the skyscraper prompted

Frei Otto Frei Paul Otto (; 31 May 1925 – 9 March 2015) was a German architect and structural engineer noted for his use of lightweight structures, in particular tensile and membrane structures, including the roof of the Olympic Stadium in Munich for t ...

to make a public statement in which he spoke out in favor of the young German architect's design. Christoph Ingenhoven is a founding member of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) and the Bundesstiftung Baukultur, a federal foundation for architectural culture in Germany. He is member of the International Academy of Architecture.

Style and philosophy

Christoph Ingenhoven pursues an approach to sustainable architecture that strives for the highest ecological, architectural and artistic goals. The structural designs provide for the use of natural resources such as sunlight, geothermal energy, rainwater and air conditioning through natural ventilation and are adapted to the surrounding (urban) landscape as site-specifically as possible. Ingenhoven calls his concept of holistic, interdisciplinary, sustainable architecture ''supergreen''. In addition to the ecological aspects, the supergreen concept also includes social and humanistic aspects.

Awards and honours

Christoph Ingenhoven's works received numerous national and international awards and recognitions, including the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction Gold for Stuttgart Main Station and the International High-Rise Award for 1 Bligh in Sydney. His projects have received several MIPIM and WAF awards, e.g. the Lanserhof Sylt won both in 2023. Christoph Ingenhoven was recipient of Europe's highest architecture award in 2022, the

European Prize for Architecture The European Prize for Architecture is an architecture prize awarded annually by the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture. It was established by Christian Narkiewicz-Laine, ...

. The Saxon Academy of Arts honored Ingenhoven with the Gottfried Semper Prize 2019. The German structural engineer and architect

Werner Sobek Werner Sobek (born May 16, 1953) is a German architect and structural engineer. Life Werner Sobek was born 1953 in Aalen, Germany. From 1974 to 1980, he studied structural engineering and architecture at the University of Stuttgart. From 1980 ...

delivered the laudatory speech at the award ceremony in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

. In 2023, Christoph Ingenhoven has been awarded the Golden Flower, Germany's oldest environmental prize, which has been awarded biennally since 1967. In 2024, he was awarded the AW Architect of the Year. This award was the occasion for the exhibition ''Stuttgart Main Station. A Once-in-a-Century Project Becomes Reality'' at th
Aedes Architecture Forum
in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Memberships

International Academy of Architecture International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

* Bundesstiftung Baukultur (founding member) * German Sustainable Building Council DGNB (founding member) *

Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is an international body in the field of tall buildings, including skyscrapers, and Sustainable design, sustainable urban design. A non-profit organization based at the Monroe Building in ...

(CTBUH) * North Rhine-Westphalia Academy for Science and Arts *

Association of German Architects The Association of German Architects (, BDA) is an association of architects founded in 1903 in Germany. It publishes the bimonthly magazine ''der architekt''. The BDA has over 5,000 members. In 1995, it founded the German Architecture Centre ...

(BDA) *

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

(AIA) *

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

(RIBA) * Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA) *

Australian Institute of Architects The Australian Institute of Architects, officially the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (abbreviated as RAIA), is Australia's professional body for architects. Its members use the post-nominals FRAIA (Fellow), ARAIA (Associate Member) an ...

* North Rhine-Westphalia Association of Architects (AKNW)

Projects (selection)

Completed buildings

* 1997: RWE-Tower,

* 1999–2001:

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

Pavillon for trade fairs in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

* 2005:

Uptown Uptown may refer to: Neighborhoods or regions in several cities United States * Uptown, Chicago, Illinois * Uptown Manhattan, New York City, New York * Uptown, Richmond, Virginia * Uptown, Dallas, Texas * Uptown, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * Upt ...

(O2-Tower)

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

* 2005:

Peek & Cloppenburg Peek & Cloppenburg is a German fast fashion retail chain based in Düsseldorf and Hamburg. The chain is operated by two separate and independent companies, Peek & Cloppenburg KG Düsseldorf (known as P&C West) and Peek & Cloppenburg KG H ...

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

* 2006: Lufthansa Aviation Center

* 2008:

European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt sol ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

* 2008: Breeze Tower

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

* 2008: New Trade Fair

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

* 2009: Sky Office

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

* 2011:

1 Bligh Street 1 Bligh Street is a skyscraper in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The 30-storey modern style office building is located in the Sydney central business district overlooking Circular Quay, the Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. D ...

, Sydney * 2010:

Swarovski Swarovski (, ) is an Austrian producer of glass based in Wattens, Tyrol. It was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski. The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal Business, which primarily produces crystal glas ...

HQ at

Lake Zurich Lake Zurich (, ; ) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or can be used to describe the lake as a whole, or just that part of the lake downstream of the Hurden peninsula and ...

* 2011: HDI Gerling HQ,

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

* 2014: Lanserhof Lake Tegern * 2015: Institute of Mathematics at

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; ) is both a German public research university in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, and a research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 when the University of Karlsruhe (), founde ...

* 2017: Town Hall

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

* 2017: Marina One Singapore * 2019: Oeconomicum

Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf ( HHU; ), named after German poet Heinrich Heine, is a public university in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which was founded in 1965. It is the successor organization to Düsseldorf's Medical Academy of ...

* 2021: Kö-Bogen II Düsseldorf * 2021: Renovation

Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus The is a theatre building and company in Düsseldorf. The present building with two major auditoria was designed by the architect and built between 1965 and 1969. It opened in 1970. History The theatre dates back to 1747 when during the ...

* 2022: Toranomon Hills Towers

* 2022: Lanserhof

Sylt Sylt (; ; Söl'ring North Frisian: ) is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, with a distinctively shaped shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the largest island in North Fris ...

* 2023: Calwer Passage

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

* 2023: Klinik Gut

St. Moritz St. Moritz ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in the administrative region of Maloja in the Swiss ...

* 2024: Joachim-Erwin-Platz 1

Ongoing work

* Stuttgart Main Station *

Dom-Hotel The Dom-Hotel is a five-star hotel in Cologne, Germany, located on Roncalliplatz in Innenstadt, Cologne, Innenstadt. The hotel is named after Cologne Cathedral (the ''Dom''), which is its direct neighbour. The hotel is one of the oldest grand ho ...

Cologne * Hotel Arlberg Hospiz in St. Christoph,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

* Pier One Düsseldorf * High-rise 505 George Street in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

* Am Oberwiesenfeld in

* Plange Mühle Campus Düsseldorf * The Crown, Strandkai

HafenCity HafenCity () is a Boroughs and quarters of Hamburg, quarter in the borough of Hamburg-Mitte, Hamburg, Germany. It is located on the Elbe river island Grasbrook, on the former Port of Hamburg area. It was formally established in 2008 and also incl ...

Hamburg * Kant & Kopf

Hamburg * UNIQ Towers Düsseldorf * 1 Spring Street

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Heinrich Hertz Tower The Heinrich Hertz Tower () is a landmark radio telecommunication tower in the city of Hamburg, Germany. Designed by architect Fritz Trautwein, in co-operation with civil engineers Jörg Schlaich, Rudolf Bergermann and Fritz Leonhardt, the towe ...

Hamburg * Lanserhof at Finca Cortesin

Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the re ...

Competitions and studies

* 1991: Commerzbank HQ Frankfurt * 2000: Airbus Hamburg * 2001: Central Park Berlin * 2007: UCD University College Dublin (1st Prize) * 2008: Bologna Central Station * 2008: ICC International Criminal Court The Hague (1st Prize) * 2010: Google Headquarters Mountain View * 2023: Opera House of the Future

* 2024: House of the Digital World

Bibliography

* Feireiss, Kristin/Commerell, Hans-Jürgen (2024). Christoph Ingenhoven. Stuttgart Main Station - A Once-in-a-Century Project Becomes Reality. Aedes Berlin. ISBN 978-3-94361585-2 * a+u 2015:08 (539) Feature: ingenhoven architects - supergreen * Ingenhoven, Christoph (2022). Stadt neu denken - Es liegt an uns zu handeln! In: Brunnengräber, Achim: Das Zeitalter der Städte (in German). Jahrbuch Ökologie. Hirzel. ISBN 978-3-7776-3032-8 * Ingenhoven, Christoph (2019). Arbeiten am Raumschiff Erde oder: Die grüne Agora. In: Weibel, Peter: "Von Morgenröten, die noch nicht geleuchtet haben" (in German). Suhrkamp. ISBN 978-3-518-46943-9 * Ingenhoven, Christoph/Altenschmidt, Stefan/Lambertz, Michaela/Mösle, Peter (2018): Praxishandbuch Green Building (in German). De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-027517-9 * Feireis, Kristin (2002). ''Energies'' (in German). Birkhäuser. ISBN 3-7643-6667-2 * Ingenhoven, Christoph and Pehnt, Wolfgang (2000). Ingenhoven, Overdiek und Partner 1991–1999. Birkhäuser. ISBN 3-7643-5839-4

External links

christoph ingenhoven architects

Christoph Ingenhoven shows his former office in Düsseldorf

Christoph Ingenhoven at CTBUH

Christoph Ingenhoven at world-architects.com

Interview in Hills Life Magazine

lecture at Architects not Architecture

lecture at ZKM in Karlsruhe

lecture at Oskar von Miller Forum
(

Deutsches Museum The Deutsches Museum (''German Museum'', officially (English: ''German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology'')) in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of science museum, science and technology museum, technology, with a ...

)
Architectural Record's DESIGN:ED Podcast with Christoph Ingenhoven

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingenhoven, Christoph 1960 births 21st-century German architects German urban planners Living people