UBERBAU
ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM
UBERBAU
is the practice of Ali Saad and Thomas Stellmach that specializes in research-based strategic urbanism and architecture. UBERBAU is currently involved in projects in Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, Lebanon, Kenya and Iraq. We regard diversity, context, density, flexiblity, mixed-use, phasing and transformability as pre-requisites for a sustainable approach. We develop these principles in close collaboration with our clients as well as specialists from various other fields in temporary or permanent collaboration.
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Ali Saad
studied Architecture and Philosophy at TU Berlin and UPC Barcelona with grants from the German National Academic Foundation and the European Commission. Right after his graduation from TU Berlin at the chair of Prof. Kees Christiaanse he became assistant professor at the Institute for Architecture of the Technische Universität Berlin conducting and publishing extensive research and teaching on the contemporary transformation of post-war New Towns in India, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, France and Poland. Before opening up his own office, he was working on projects ranging from the architectural to the regional scale as an architect and project leader at maxwan architects & urbanists in Rotterdam and at LIN Finn Geipel + Giulia Andi architects & urbanists in Berlin. At LIN he was chef de projét of "Grand Paris Métropole Douce", an urban vision of a prosperous and ecologically balanced Greater Paris in the year 2030, as part of the Grand Paris project, initiated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
[Ali on linkedin]
Thomas Stellmach
studied Architecture at TU Berlin and UPC Barcelona. Recent examples of his work are Europe’s largest urban design commission, «project A101» in Russia and UK’s largest residential development, «Barking Riverside» in London for the Rotterdam based practice maxwan a&u, as well as an urban vision for the 2.6 Million people of Aleppo, Syria. He was assistant professor for urban planning at the renowned Berlage Institute guest professor at the University for Science and Arts in Aleppo, Syria. He has lectured and conducted workshops at the Tsinghua University in Beijing, Strelka Institute in Moscow, the PRIC Conference in Baghdad, the UPC in Barcelona, the AUB in Beirut, and the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam. Thomas recently won the Europan X competition with an urban plan for the city of Heidelberg, Germany. He is currently consulting UN-Habitat in Nairobi on urban planning methods.
[Thomas on linkedin]
NEWS April 2012
Thomas Stellmach will present UBERBAU's Aleppo Diverse | Open City project at the City Debates 2012. Re-Conceptualizing Boundaries: Urban Design in the Arab World conference at the AUB in Beirut, May 3-5. [24.04.2012].
Thomas Stellmach will talk about UBERBAU's recent experiences in Africa, Asia and Europe at Capita Selecta: 'Giant Steps: Urbanism Around the World' hosted by the Academie von Bouwkunst in Amsterdam on 12 April at 8pm. [04.04.2012]
NEWS March 2012
UBERBAU selected as one of two finalists for the AMO-ZiL competition. Ali Saad presented UBERBAUs proposal "ZIL Pioneer" to an international jury and to Deputy Mayor Andrei Sharonov in Moscow on Friday, March 02 2012. The proposal suggests the transformation of the centrally located, 280 ha industrial site into a pioneering urban centre for Moscow. Among other contributions by Dutch office Mecanoo, French office Valode & Pistre and Russian office Project Meganom, Uberbau and Project Meganom were selected to further develop their proposals and to present them to Moscow's Mayor in the coming months. Please download the full press release here. [22.03.2012]
The result of our consultancy for UN-Habitat will be presented and discussed with Thomas Stellmach at the 'Urban Densification and Extension Tools' Expert Group Meeting in Barcelona, St. Pau, May 18-20. [06.03.2012] Postponed to June.
NEWS February 2012
On coming Friday the 3rd of February 2012 the reknown German architectural magazine Bauwelt will publish its latest issue on "Shared Space". Check out a feature on UBERBAU's "Street Life" Project as well as an article by Ali Saad on the desintegration of roads and urban context. [01.02.2012]
NEWS December 2011
UBERBAU is selected as one of three teams to conceive a future for the AMO-ZiL factory area in Moscow.
NEWS November 2011
Thomas Stellmach has been appointed as consultant for the global UN-HABITAT programme on Urban Planning, Legislation and Urban Economy (UPLE) which envisages the development innovative urban planning tools for physical and strategic planning at the city-region, intermediate city and city-extension scales. Hello Kenya.
Ali Saad was invited to participate in the workshop "xA2" at the Maastricht Biennale organized by P-EN-M architecture and urbanism and Maurer United Architects. The aim of the workshop is to develop first ideas for a temporary use strategy along the A2 highway trajectory running through Maastricht. The strategy will result in an intermediary plan that should guide urban development until the activation of West 8's "Groene Loper" Masterplan. The workshop will take place from November 1st - 2nd 2011 in Maastricht. Please check the website of the Maastricht Biennale for more information.
NEWS October 2011
Thomas Stellmach will lecture at the HSUS (Higher School of Urban Studies) in Moscow this Monday, October 3rd and discuss the future of Grebnevskie Island during the Architecture Days in Nizhny Novgorod on October the 5th.
NEWS August 2011
Thomas Stellmach will moderate a master class hosted at Strelka Institute. Join us at the 'Island in a city' workshop from 3 to 14 August in Moscow.
NEWS June 2011
Ali Saad will hold the first public presentation of Street Life, an UBERBAU research project on the integration of roads and urban environment in the Netherlands made possible through a contribution of the Netherlands Architecture Fund. The lecture is hosted by the Chair for architecture and sustainable urban development of Prof. Klaus Zillich at the Technische Universität Berlin and will take place on Thursday, June 23rd 2011, 18.00 h at lecture hall A053, Architecture Building, Technische Universität Berlin. For further details please download the invitation.
NEWS May 2011
UBERBAU has an immediate need for two student interns. If you are interested, download the job announcement.
NEWS February 2011
Thomas Stellmach is invited to the Municipality of Aleppo to support the finalisation of the 2025 Aleppo City Development Strategy for the giz in March 2011.
Thomas Stellmach of UBERBAU will hold a masterclass on 'Transforming the Public — The Arab City and Modernity' at the ETSAB from 1 to 10 April 2011 in Barcelona, España.
NEWS January 2011
The project "Paris Periphery North-East" - a collaboration of LIN, UBERBAU and a multidisciplinary team of consultants - is on display between January 29th and May 8th 2011 at the "Grand Paris in Berlin" exhibition organized by the Institut français d'Allemagne and the Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft in the Kulturforum Berlin.
UBERBAU was invited by the Mayoralty of Baghdad to take part in the competition for the development of the historic Al-Adhamiya neighbourhood and its riverfront in Baghdad, Iraq, in collaboration with the Italian architecture firm T Spoon.
UBERBAU is offering a 6 month internship to students. If you are interested, download the job announcement.
NEWS November 2010
Ali Saad and Vesta Nele Zareh won a crate of champagne for their contribution to the call "Was ist Raumproduktion der Berliner Republik?" initiated by akademie c/o. Their article sees the production of urban space in Berlin in the context of the historical events that shaped the city since the beginning of the Cold War and argues for a new approach in urban policy making. The award ceremony will take place on January 20th 2010, 19 h, at Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin-Mitte.
NEWS October 2010
UBERBAU celebrates the opening of its new office venue in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Be our guest on October 10th 2010.
NEWS September 2010
Thomas Stellmach will lecture on 'Sustainable Urban Territories' at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology on 29 October 2010 in Trondheim, Norway.
Ali Saad was invited to take part in the second workshop of MOD.org taking place from November 9th to 12th 2010 in Bangalore, India.
NEWS August 2010
UBERBAU was appointed by MOD.org to comment on the zoning regulations of the Revised Masterplan 2015 of Bangalore from an international perspective.
NEWS July 2010
Ali Saad and Thomas Stellmach are invited to the kick-off workshop of MOD.org , the freshly founded urban action research collective from Bangalore, taking place from 14.7.2010 to 16.7.2010 in Berlin. Besides participating in the workshop they will lecture on urban visions with focus on their Aleppo study.
NEWS June 2010
Ali Saad is invited as a guest critic to the Berlage Institute for the final presentations of the studios 'After Displacement: Large-scale Housing Solutions for Diyarbakir', tutored by Martino Tattara and Joachim Declerck with Elia Zenghelis, and 'Creative Bejing', tutored by Rients Dijkstra and Thomas Stellmach.
The Final Presentations of the Berlage Institute Studio 'Creative Beijing' are held. Thomas Stellmach is tutoring this studio with Rients Dijkstra (maxwan a&u).
NEWS May 2010
End of May, Thomas Stellmach will hold a workshop at Strelka Institute in Moscow together with the director of Rotterdam's Berlage Institute, Vedran Mimica. They will look at the possible scenarios for the development of Red October, Strelka's site, and the intricacies of the balancing act between harsh zoning and free construction, between working space and living space, between efficient and creative, individual and collective.
UBERBAU is offering a 6 month internship to students. If you are interested, download the job announcement.
NEWS Mar 2010
UBERBAU lectured on urban development in Baghdad, Iraq at the PRIC Conference. Read the New York Times article, as long as it's up.
UBERBAU is collaborating with LIN in the field of urban strategy on an urban study comissioned by the French Government. The aim of the project "Paris Periphery North-East" is to develop a vision for Aulnay-sous-Bois, Sevran, Livry-Gargan, Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil, five of the most precarious districts in the North-East of the Parisian periphery.
NEWS Feb 2010
UBERBAU wins Europan 10. Our scheme "Der Rote Faden", a cooperation with Martin Sobota (Cityförster), Marc Ryan (West8) and Artur Borejszo is awarded the 1st prize for the site of Heidelberg. Download the press release: EN (pdf, 2MB) | DE (pdf, 2MB).
NEWS Jan 2010
The Dutch Stimuleringsfonds voor Architectuur awarded UBERBAU a grant to carry out a research project on hybrid roads in the Netherlands. Advised by a multidisciplinary team consisting of Rients Dijkstra, Henk Tromp and Wouter Vanstiphout, "Street Life" will speculate on how European roads could act as socio-economic infrastructures, to trigger hybrid developments and integrate the potentials of their complex urban environments.
In 2010, UBERBAU has shaped an urban vision for the future of Aleppo, the second biggest agglomeration in Syria, for the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ). See the online presentation of the project at Madinatuna, the Aleppo City Development Strategy site. Or download our full Aleppo - Diverse | Open City report here [pdf, 21MB]