Germany has a highly competitive design and architecture market. Where do you see the greatest opportunity for UNS to grow, and which sectors, cities or project types will be central to that ambition?

Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region are a natural starting point, both because of my own network and because of the scale and diversity of development in the area. But the wider German market is also important. Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg all offer distinct opportunities, with different conditions, cultures and project landscapes.

Sector-wise, there are several areas where we see clear potential.

First, renovation and transformation will be central to the coming years. Germany has a vast existing building stock that requires upgrading, rethinking and extending.

There is also a growing need to transform large retail and commercial properties. Many city-centre department stores and shopping centres no longer serve their original purpose. Their future lies in mixed-use models that bring together retail, workspace, housing, hospitality, culture and public life.

Second, culture remains important. Many cities are reconsidering and renewing their existing cultural infrastructure, creating opportunities to adapt historic buildings and develop new public destinations.

Finally, residential development will return as conditions shift. There is significant demand for housing, and we should be ready to contribute with projects that address affordability, liveability and long-term quality.


Before we sat down, you mentioned that your main objective is to strengthen and stabilise the Frankfurt office while further expanding UNS’s presence in the German market. I was curious to know what does “strengthening and stabilising” the Frankfurt office means in practical terms, and what will be different for clients, collaborators and the team over the next 12 to 24 months?

Germany has a highly regulated planning environment, shaped by federal structures, regional codes and specific approval processes. To work successfully here, we need people who understand those conditions and can integrate them into the design process from the outset.

The aim is not for Frankfurt to function simply as a representative office. We want it to become a working unit with the critical mass to run several projects in parallel, develop new opportunities and establish long-term relationships with clients and collaborators.


What kind of architects are you looking for to bring this knowledge to the Frankfurt office?

We are looking for holistic architects. In a growing studio, people need to be able to move between different aspects of a project, from concept and competition work to coordination, technical development and delivery.

Specialism remains valuable, but a smaller team also needs people who understand how the parts of a project connect. We will continue to collaborate with our colleagues in across the globe as well as our strong local partners, particularly where specialist site-based expertise is required.

I come from a competition and design background, and I believe deeply in the power of an idea. But ideas only matter when there is a team capable of carrying them through. Building that balance is one of the key tasks ahead.


What can UNS offer German clients through its Frankfurt presence and international experience?

We bring an international perspective while being firmly present in Frankfurt. This allows us to work closely with the local context while drawing on experience across different markets, typologies and ways of working.

Across our eight global offices, our approach is always human-centred: we consider how people will experience a building, as well as the relationships needed to realise it. That means working in close partnership with clients, consultants and local collaborators from the earliest stages of a project. We bring a broader view of how buildings can evolve, whether through new forms of mixed use, the transformation of existing structures or new responses to changing urban life.


What are the biggest challenges facing architecture and urban development in Germany today?

Germany’s planning environment demands close coordination across approval systems, technical requirements, procurement, programme and budget. Architects and designers need to understand these conditions from the outset, not treat them as constraints to be resolved after the design is complete.

The task is to retain architectural quality while making projects work spatially, technically, financially and legally. This requires a disciplined process and a clear sense of responsibility across every stage of a commission.

For clients, trust is built through consistency: listening carefully, responding to the realities of the brief and following through on commitments. Good architecture and design must be imaginative, but it must also be reliable.


How will you ensure that expansion in Germany is not simply about taking on more work, but about delivering architecture that responds to urgent issues such as climate resilience and the quality of public space?

They are fundamental. Sustainability cannot be treated as a checklist or an addition to a finished concept. It has to inform the first questions we ask: Why does this building need to exist? What role will it play over time? How can it remain useful, adaptable and resilient?

Every project requires its own response. The task is not simply to apply standard measures, but to identify the most intelligent approach for a particular site, building and community. In Germany, where the challenge is often to rethink existing buildings rather than begin from a blank site, sustainability must start with a building’s continued usefulness. The question is how it can be adapted, upgraded and kept in use over time.

The goal is to create buildings that use resources responsibly, can accommodate change and retain their value over a long life. For Frankfurt, the ambition is clear: to pair UNS’s design culture with the local expertise needed to create buildings that can perform, adapt and endure.