The Practice
Founded in 1965 by Meinhard von Gerkan and Volkwin Marg, the architectural practice von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) is one of the few practices with a generalist position, which takes responsibility of project from the design idea and its realization right through to the interior design. Since inception, the architectural firm has now grown to four additional partners, one partner for China and eleven associate partners and more than 500 employees in ten offices in Germany and abroad.Volkwin Marg born in 1936 in Königsberg/East Prussia, and Meinhard von Gerkan born in 1935 in Riga/Latv. They both have completed their Diploma in Architecture from the University Carolo-Wilhelmina at Braunschweig in 1964 and since 1965 they are working together, completed many prestigious projects and also won numerous awards.
Their architectural interpretation is characterized by the Vitruvian ideals of solidity, longevity and beauty. Based on the understanding, architecture earns the quality of sustainability in the sense of permanence, when not only the climatic conditions and the corresponding use of materials are accounted for, but also when the house, as an envelope for the diversity of human existence, is designed in an obvious manner. Above and beyond these demands, they build in different cultural circles in accordance with certified guidelines and in consultation with the client.
In the past 45 years, gmp has planned, designed and constructed small scale homes, hotels, museums, theaters and concert halls, office buildings, commercial centers and hospitals as well as research, educational and sports facilities, buildings for transportation, trade and industry buildings and master plans. The firm became internationally known as a team of airport architects when, in 1975, it constructed the Berlin-Tegel building with its drive-in airplane terminal for “stacked parking”. This innovative design has been further developed to transform the departure and arrival halls at Stuttgart and Hamburg airports. It is internationally recognized not only for its projects like the New Trade Fair in Leipzig, the Rimini Exhibition Center or the Christ Pavilion for the EXPO 2000, but also for its designs.
