Favorite projects

With a certain understated authority, the new headquarters of HeidelbergCement AG makes its mark on the old and new location of this DAX-listed company. Embedded into the structure of the adjoining development of Heidelberg's Neuenheim district, yet clearly recognizable as the headquarters, the new building is organised as three volumes, which overlap each other to form a single functional entity. The sensitive modulation of the volumes takes account of the setting and the microclimate, but also creates a clear start to the development axis along Berliner Strasse. With its curving facade the design by AS+P, which asserted itself against tough competitors in the design competition, demonstrates the potential lightness and delicacy of concrete, a material closely associated with the firm.

Inside, a central thoroughfare in combination with special zones and the entrance hall form an especially communicative working environment for up to 1,000 employees, fostering informal networking and enabling the configuration of a complex, differentiated working landscape, which is continued outdoors. Moreover, thanks to its innovative energy concept the building has received the highest certification category of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).

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In the South-East of the City of Ingolstadt the Audi AG plans to transform a former oil refinery into an innovation campus with inter­national standing. Aim of the planning process is to create a vibrant campus which fosters creativity and attracts global talent, while offering world class conditions for research and development.

The proposed concept provides a flexible development framework, which has the ability to react to rising technological requirements as well as unforeseeable future innovations. A well-elaborated urban design features the communication and exchange between the different disciplines working on the campus.

The unique location of the campus at the river Danube banks and the adjacent wetlands is a great source for leisure activities and relaxation. The integration of these qualities follows one of the guiding ideas of the concept to create an inspiring and versatile work-life environment. A forward-looking mobility concepts envisions all kinds of mobility underlining the innovative character of the IN-Campus.

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The new MHK Group European headquarters are under construction on Frankfurter Strasse on the northern outskirts of Dreieich's Sprendlingen district. The planned project extends northwards along Robert Bosch Strasse. In the west of the site, along Frankfurter Strasse, the main building, which will be used as office space, is the first structure. Deeper into the plot of land, a park landscape will be laid out which will be bordered by the "Dreieich Forum" event building and a water basin. To the east, a parking deck is the last structure in the ensemble.

The planned office and administration building will have one underground and six over-ground stories, plus a penthouse level. Resting on a considerably shorter, two-storey podium, an approx. 112-meter long, four-storey wing projects in the south by approx. 31 meters without the need for supporting columns. The covered area this creates features the main entrance to the building and the driveway, which is defined by a shallow water basin and extends as far as the "Dreieich Forum" planned in the park.

The cantilever is the predominant element of the overall composition. The structurally exacting idea is realized using two steel lattice girders, which are back-hung into the solid section of the building and extend across four storeys.

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In light of the planned new Public Transport System for the capital of Saudi Arabia, the target of this study has been a progressive conversion of the existing sensitive urban fabric of Riyadh’s historic center towards a Metropolitan ‘Transit Oriented Development’ within the next 25 years. Without this centennial opportunity it seems unlikely that the renewal of the currently declining Central Area would be undertaken at the foreseen scale and coherence.

Well accessed by the important King Fahad Road and Al Batha Road, and three METRO lines with two interchanges and a total of seven stations within an area of 590 hectares, the area qualifies as having the highest connectivity within the city. In contrast to classical TOD developments characterized by high-density mixed uses close to new transit infrastructure, Riyadh’s city center has to respond to local history, heritage sites, generous and representative open spaces, existing and new development projects of national importance, and to address broader issues of identity, uniqueness, representation, sociocultural cohesion, and design quality.

The vision of a Capital Oasis is interpreted as an integrative public space, where the heart of Riyadh is represented and opened for the public. An envisaged combination of residential, commercial, cultural and leisure uses will guarantee a homogeneous 24 hour vitality and an economic degree of capacity utilization in public transport. A variety of unique architectural addresses and external spaces interlinked by a system of attractive pedestrian and vehicular corridors will make the difference to the fast growing and highly economized predominant urban fabric evident elsewhere in the capital. The study not just included a wider urban planning vision and spatial framework for the area, but also plot specific implementation advice, legal site plans and detailed urban- and landscape design guidance for the public realm.

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With the MCI Business Park, planned by AS+P in 2014, set to be an attractive government and mixed use development, the new Ministry of Commerce and Industry Headquarter is the iconic eponymous landmark, located at the gates to the business park. With its contemporary yet timeless architecture the new MCI HQ is inspired by the ministries forward-thinking, innovation-leading spirit and dignified understatement; a showcase of what a contemporary government building can be. The distinct footprint derives from its use as office and public service building and benefits from the master plan concept as well boosts it. Spacious plazas provide a generous entrance situation, the elegant shadow roof complements the buildings shape and supports the embracing welcoming gesture. A central, light-filled atrium is the buildings main axis and connecting magistrale, extending over the full height of the building. Internal bridges interconnect the two central wings and contribute to the buildings flexibility and efficiency. Loggias located adjacent to these bridges invite to informal meetings and communication. All employees in this 55,000 m² GFA Ministry benefit from the lightweight, transparent design, enjoy natural daylight at their working places and have a tremendous view. The new MCI HQ provides highly flexible, low maintenance and high quality multiple use office spaces, a representative minister's suite, a modern and spacious customer service area as well as amenities such as lush indoor gardens and versatile creative rooms. A pleasant work environment inspires, motivates and attracts highly skilled and dedicated professionals from throughout the kingdom.

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MODON, the Saudi Industrial Property Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been assigned to manage and supervise the design and the construction of the MCI Business Park in the city of Riyadh. The business park will accommodate the headquarters of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) and some of its related authorities including MODON. Also, private sector rentable mixed-use space and a 4 star plus business hotel will be offered, the amount and nature of which has been determined by a feasibility study during Phase 1 of the project. The main objective of the project is to add an attractive new location in Riyadh, well known for an excellent working environment during working hours and a high quality public place afterwards.

The project concerns the master plan and its related studies including preliminary and final design and construction & control documentation of utilities and underground infrastructure, roads and landscape design, since these elements will be implemented first. The architectural design of the buildings is developed to a conceptual design only to be worked out in more detail during the architectural implementation part afterwards.

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In 2014, the new ECB building on the heritage site of the former Grossmarkthalle, the wholesale fruit and vegetable market, in Frankfurt was commissioned, and its 2,900 employees relocated there. AS+P had been involved in the project since the competition stage, which the Viennese architects COOP HIMMELB(L)AU had won in 2005. As part of the planning team, AS+P performed planning and coordination services in performance stages 2-7 as a sub-contractor of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. Commissioned directly by the client, between 2011 and 2015, AS+P assumed responsibility for general planning on the building site, the up-dating of planning of the construction work, the coordination and checking of the execution and assembly planning, the planning of modifications to the specifications, the tendering and award of still outstanding construction services, and documentation. To this end AS+P put a team of over 30 experienced architects and engineers in place directly on the building site, and they successfully performed the services in performance stages 4-7 and 9. Furthermore, during the planning stage AS+P advised the ECB on issues relating to planning questions relating to building law and transport.

The headquarters of the ECB comprises three main elements: the former Grossmarkthalle with new architectural structures on the inside, a 185-meter high twin office tower with a floor-to-ceiling atrium, and an entrance building. The latter forges a visual and functional link with the Grossmarkthalle, constitutes the main entrance, and accommodates the press conference area. The appearance of the former Grossmarkthalle has been preserved and houses the most public facilities, including the lobby, conference area etc.. The complexity of the design, the high technical standards, and not least of all the integration of the fabric of the heritage building made the planning and construction of this project a challenging assignment.

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In 2010 the Egyptian Ministry of Housing commissioned AS+P to draw up an extensive strategic master plan for the development of urban design and transport in Alexandria, which with a population of around 4.1 million is Egypt’s second biggest city. Man-made pollution is just one of the problems facing this rapidly growing industrial city. Further challenges include growth by up to 150,000 inhabitants a year that is not part of any form of urban planning, informal settlement development, a dilapidated or patchy technical infrastructure, and city traffic that is close to collapse. The master plan aims to develop an extensive strategic concept that addresses the above problems and offers concrete planning and technical solutions. These will be explored in greater detail in flagship projects in three master plans and be substantiated by economic feasibility studies.

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As the lead in a cross-discipline consortium with the three regional partners Gertec (Essen), Büro Drecker (Bottrop) and Conlab (Düsseldorf), AS+P is heading the drawing up of the master plan and innovation handbook for the InnovationCity Ruhr | Modellstadt Bottrop project. With an 18-month timeframe, the master plan process is one of the main pillars of the entire InnovationCity Ruhr | Modellstadt Bottrop project, and to date unique in this form. It forms the basis for developing a climate-friendly city that also improves quality of life. It links aspects such as urban design, energy, and mobility in an integrated planning process. Based on the findings, an innovation handbook will be compiled which, taking the model city Bottrop as an example, illustrates how climate-friendly urban redevelopment can be implemented in other cities as well.

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In 2009 AS+P was commissioned with the construction of the new corporate headquarters of Fraport AG at Frankfurt Airport. The office and administration building is located to the east of Gate 3 and is part of what is known as the “central area”, between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, which is bordered by Hugo Eckener Ring. The design by AS+P envisages a building which is accessible from the west and the east via a central entrance area. This allows the configuration of the building to be flexible with regard to both public and operational areas, without construction work having to being conducted. The entrances to the underground car park are also configured such that they can be accessed independently from both areas. In October 2013 AS+P and Fraport AG were awarded the German Sustainable Building council’s certification “German Quality Seal for Sustainable Building in Gold” for the new Fraport AG corporate headquarters.

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The site of the former freight station and shunting yard is today one of the biggest and most significant inner-city developments in Germany. It is an element in and the result of a lengthy planning process in the City of Frankfurt/Main. As early as 1999 AS+P presented an initial urban development framework plan, which envisaged a new district here with modern mixed usage and pulsating urban life. On the basis of the framework plan, AS+P drew up, among other things, structural concepts in greater depth, staged an international urban development competition, and developed the 2020 Master Plan for Messe Frankfurt. These plans now form the basis of the legal zoning plans. AS+P continues to advise the owners of the land and organize the requisite planning procedures. For Europaviertel West, aurelis Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG in Eschborn received the German Sustainable Building Council’s Certificate in Gold for Sustainable Residential Quarters.

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As part of a medium to long-term development strategy, Egypt, with its 5,000-year old tradition and culture, and passion for sport, is envisaging staging major sporting events. To this end the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, in cooperation with the National Sport Council, commissioned AS+P, PROPROJEKT, abold Büro für Marketingkommunikation, and GRID, Cairo to compile an extensive infrastructure analysis of Greater Cairo with regard to its suitability for major sporting events. The firm’s consulting activities embraced a detailed evaluation of the possible venues, the transport system, the environment, as well as accommodation facilities and financing possibilities. A provisional master plan and a communication strategy were also drawn up.

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AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH, together with PROPROJEKT GmbH and Serviceplan Gruppe für innovative Kommunikation GmbH, compiled Qatar’s Bid Book for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™. The World Cup concept, embracing accommodation, transport, training facilities, stadiums, and other topics of relevance to the bid are outlined in the Bid Book, which is over 700 pages long, and further volumes of annexes."Expect Amazing” is the slogan with which on December 2, 2010 Qatar was awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, making it the first country in the Middle east to stage the event.

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The strategic urban development study “Frankfurt for Everyone” represents a contribution to policy advice in Frankfurt/Main whose compilation was spearheaded by AS+P. The memorandum was financed by private Frankfurt companies and the various chambers of commerce and industry and made available to Mayor Dr. Petra Roth. Looking forward to 2030, the study aimed to make Frankfurt stand out in the national and international competition between cities and make the city attractive to a worldwide mobile knowledge elite. To this end the study drew up recommendations as to how Frankfurt should advance in five fields: quality of life, economic strength, education, science, responsibility and involvement, environmental efficiency and as a future region. Based on the city’s assets and future needs, a matrix comprising 120 proposed and 40 concrete projects was drawn up.

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Liberated from the closely networked urban structure, the Criminal Court completes an ensemble of important public facilities at the heart of the Old Town of Riyadh, which as part of restructuring is to be revitalized. The 44.6-meter high monolithic cube rises up from a surrounding strip of light at the base. The illuminated break, a sort of natural barrier, creates a sense of safety and emphasizes the building’s dignity. Walkways configured along an axis take visitors to the main entrances, which are cut cone-shaped into the stone cube. The facade is made of slabs of coarse limestone. Thin slits with windows set right back minimize heat build-up on the inside and increase the plasticity of the facade. All the rooms are grouped around a spacious atrium. A system featuring strips of skylights ensures a pleasant ambiance, indirect daylight and lighting effects on the inside of the building.

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Given the current renewed preference for cities as the place in which to live and work, for business and trade, the importance of the functional quality of inner cities in terms of urban design is growing. It is becoming an important criterion in the international competition between locations. With historical buildings of world stature and a large, stable population, not to mention established trade and service structures, Cologne city center has considerable potential, but also noteworthy deficits. A long-term development strategy is needed to mobilize the potential and balance out deficits. The aim is to reach political and public consensus. The instrument best suited to this project, and indeed the one selected was an adaptable master plan process, which can be continued and advanced at any time.

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Downtown Abuja is the heart of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, where the seat of government, municipal authorities, important cultural and religious institutions, the city’s central office and business district, as well as embassies and foreign diplomatic representative offices are located. The revision by AS+P of the 30-year old master plan aimed to identify the factors hampering the development planned at the time. Land use, urban design and infrastructure were adapted such that further successful development is possible. This included revising the preparatory land use plan and the development guidelines, a concept for revitalizing the central roads, concepts for individual problem areas (including the station, parks, Capital Mall, central square, high-rise locations), as well as transport and development concepts for the entire area.

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In the northeast of China the provincial capital Changchun is emerging as an important administrative, innovative, and industrial city. The population is set to double to five million within 15 years. On the basis of an international competition it won, since 2003 AS+P has been planning the first major urban expansion, the 120 square kilometer International Automobile City. In 2007 AS+P won another international competition for the expansion of Changchun in the south, the residential and business city Jingyue. Traditional Chinese urban design principles, sustainable development planning with variety in terms of usage, priority given to a public transport infrastructure with metro lines, cycle and footpaths, an integrated concept with green axes, parks, and plazas produce an ecological urban concept for 500,000 inhabitants across a surface area of 60 square kilometres. AS+P has been commissioned to develop the concept in greater detail.

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Previously known as the SGZ high-rise, the slender building opposite Alte Oper was one of the pioneering structures that first shaped the skyline of “Mainhattan”. Built in 1972, the office tower on the edge of Frankfurt’s banking district was extended back in 2003 to include a structure designed and built by AS+P. Because it was not possible to refurbish the high-rise within the existing structure, the developer decided in favor of a total refurbishment and an extension. In terms of shape and the design of the facade the existing building and the extension are clearly distinguishable from one another and respond differently to the urban design in the immediate vicinity. Facing the park, the old building is clad with an all-glass facade, the extension on the other hand with the light natural stone that is prevalent around Opernplatz. Two-storey windows emphasize the vertical, giving the 115-meter high structure a slender, elegant appearance.

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Parallel to the rapid economic growth in Russia, Moscow is experiencing a continual increase in its population. The pressure to designate new areas for residential development is increasing accordingly. As part of a peer review process, AS+P developed a master plan vision for an area measuring around 400 square kilometers to the southwest of Moscow. The region there is dominated by an unspoiled landscape with extensive forests, lakes, and rivers. The fundamental objective was, while retaining a high degree of flexibility, to guarantee sustainable development that combines the economy, ecology, and society harmoniously with one another. In the subsequent substantiation stage of the project, AS+P was also commissioned with the revision of one of the four quadrants, the “Western Quadrant”.

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Fudan University has a long-standing tradition as an elite natural science and technical institute. Founded in 1905 in Shanghai, it now has 17 faculties, in which a total of 36,000 students are enrolled. The competition brief was to design a new campus that could be completed in two stages. The first stage saw construction of the Faculty of Computer Science and Microelectronics, followed by the Medical Institute and the affiliated research facility in the second. Integral parts of the campus include courtyards located at different heights and a park which has watercourses running through it, thereby taking up a theme that is typical for Shanghai. AS+P won first prize in the international urban design and architecture competition and was responsible for the architectural concept and the construction of the faculty buildings in the first stage.

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The Hi-Tech Park development in the Zhang Jiang district of Shanghai is one of the city’s most important projects. In order to do justice to the image of a hi-tech park striving for innovation, in 2001 an international construction competition for the Administration Center was staged, which AS+P won. The building complex is set back from the road and is accessed via a greened, semi-public plaza. The two 88-meter high towers with a double facade unfold their impact on the urban design as a landmark in the midst of a natural park. The Administration Center is divided into four distinct structures. The 18 storeys of the glass twin towers house offices and conference rooms. To the east of the high-rises there is an adjoining three-storey pedestal zone, in which in addition to other public facilities there is a restaurant.

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Baseler Platz is of special significance for Frankfurt: Located between “Friedensbrücke” bridge and the main station, it is the southern gateway to the downtown area. In the past few decades, however, the “Platz” was unable to do justice to this function. Lacking in attractions and public facilities it deteriorated into a mere traffic area.With regard to planning, AS+P addressed Baseler Platz as early as 1998 in an urban design study. Architecturally, the construction of two new buildings marked the completion of the first step towards upgrading and revitalizing the location. An ensemble of two striking new edifices was built which, though totally different from one another in terms of shape, together form an exciting architectural unit: “Oval” and “Baseler Arkaden” are the names of the two buildings, which through highly diverse facilities in the form of shops, hospitality, offices, and apartments are restoring urban life to Baseler Platz.

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In 2002 AS+P came first in the urban design competition with three levels of depth for the Northern Bund in Shanghai. AS+P sees the new development of the Northern Bund, in a central location on Huangpu River, as an enormous opportunity for the city of Shanghai. The design submitted for the competition stands out for a strong urban design concept geared to feasibility, which presents vibrant, economically promising inner-city expansion for Shanghai. The adjoining downtown area of Shanghai and the busy “Bund” were developed northwards to the planning area and the Northern Bund serves, as it were, as an attractive link to the new international passenger terminal for shipping on Huangpu River.

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In October 2002 AS+P was awarded the extraordinary contract to compile an expert opinion on the urban development of a planning area measuring over 100 square kilometers along the central north-south axis in Beijing. Beijing’s most important religious and political buildings are located along the “historical” part of the axis, which extends for around eight kilometers. The intention was for new ideas to be hatched for the “new” parts of the axis that over the past few decades have emerged north and south of the Old Town. For the heart of the development in the south of the city the design presented by AS+P proposed a spacious new main station directly on the central axis. In the north it envisages a lively new district covering a surface area of ten square kilometers and featuring a diverse mixture of commercial, service, shopping, and residential facilities. In the south an “Ecology Park” measuring six square kilometers was to be an experimental site for traditional and new forms of agriculture.

Located in the immediate vicinity of the main station in Mannheim and visible from afar, the VICTORIA insurance company’s high-rise boasts no less than two superlatives: soaring to a height of almost 100 meters, the landmark VICTORIA Tower is not only Mannheim’s tallest building, but also the quickest skyscraper of its size to be built. The elongated glass rhombus rises imposingly from the grounds of the “Schlossgarten” and, depending on where the observer is standing, has the appearance of a wide disc or a slender tower. In terms of urban design the unusual footprint responds to the axes of the station forecourt and the main road in the Lindenhof district, and softens the building’s thrust. Together with the pedestal area, in the corners the glazing of the overhanging needle-pointed stairwells and the top floor create a level, causing the projecting double-shell facade in front of the fragmentary office grid to seem like a giant panel, surrounded by a light frame, which is illuminated in the dark.

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In April, 1994 AS+P presented the first master plan for the EXPO 2000 grounds in Hanover. The growing complexity of the planning brief and the on-going development process made it necessary to advance the basic urban development concept into dynamic “master planning”. From July 1995 until the opening of the EXPO exhibition in 2000, AS+P continually updated and continued the master plan. The current status of the planning process was documented and published in a six-monthly cycle. The last master plan was the eighth version and entitled “EXPO 2000 Hanover – Planning and Construction Master Plan 06/00”.

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The history of the “Museumsufer” began in 1878 with the relocation of the “Städel” art school and museum to the banks of the River Main. One hundred years later there was renewed impetus on the part of the city. In 1980 AS+P drew up an “Overall Plan for the “Museumsufer River Bank Development”, which at the time went by the name of “Speer Plan”. It defined both river banks as parts of the core of the city, reorganized the traffic flow and parking, proposed a number of urban plazas, intended to expand the “Nizza”, part of Frankfurt’s history, and planned a museum of modern art there. Along the inner-city banks of the Main there are now renowned museums such as Museum Angewandte Kunst, Museum für Kommunikation, the Filmmuseum and Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM). The “Holbeinsteg” pedestrain bridge was also built to plans by AS+P (1990). As a direct pedestrian link between the “Museumsufer” and downtown Frankfurt, the “Holbeinsteg” is a modern-day equivalent of the neighboring 19th century “Eisernen Steg”.

As one of Frankfurt’s main arterial roads, Mainzer Landstrasse links downtown Frankfurt and the banking district with the trade fair grounds and the airport. It also provides access to extensive residential quarters and business districts. The master plan drawn up by AS+P for developing Frankfurt designated Mainzer Landstrasse as one of the main axes for development in the city center. In 1984 the Office of General and Urban Planning commissioned AS+P to draw up a future-oriented usage and design concept. As a result of the planning process a mixture of uses and building forms was proposed, which give Mainzer Landstrasse the characteristic character of a business and residential district. In particular the sequence of high-rises that dominate the cityscape has emerged as an important element of the Frankfurt skyline.

The master plan for the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh zones residential areas and open spaces, enables the population to grow by 30,000 inhabitants and sets architectural guidelines for all recreational and communal facilities. Transport and traffic circulation systems, as well as environmental plant for the protection and integration of the desert landscape were developed. The quarter has 150 foreign representations, very different types of residential buildings, mosques, schools, and recreational facilities. The Foreign Ministry’s decision to relocate diplomatic units from Jeddah to Riyadh provided the impetus for a further project, the “Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Staff Housing”. The High Executive Committee of Saudi Arabia commissioned AS+P to supervise the construction of the residential quarter for Foreign Ministry staff. The aim was to plan a city in a city, with apartments, mosques, schools and all communal facilities for 3,600 inhabitants.

In 1964 Albert Speer won 1st prize in the urban design competition for the new “Pfingstweide” residential development in Ludwigshafen. The design on the central site of the former station, which had been moved following massive bombing attacks in World War II, envisaged a new residential area. While closely networking inner-city facilities, the plans aimed to guarantee a road link with a new business district between the former city center, cultural centers, and the new station.