Triple award winner at the German Design Award

The award is recognising outstanding achievements in architecture and design. Out of more than 3,900 entries from 57 countries, three projects by Rieder received international recognition – a strong testament to the consistent integration of architectural quality and lived sustainability.

In the category "Excellent Architecture," both the Rieder Campus and the RCL Hall impressed the international jury. The award is further complemented by a win in the "Circular Design" category for the innovative scrapcrete facade. This triple recognition emphasises a design approach that treats sustainability not as an add-on but as an integral part of architectural design.

The Rieder Campus exemplifies how responsible resource management and contemporary working environments can interact. A decommissioned bus garage was transformed into the central element of the new campus. Following the "Reuse and Recycle" principle, numerous existing building components were reused, including an I-beam from 1958, around 150 tonnes of recycled steel beams, as well as flooring and grass pavers. Compared to a new build, constructing on the existing structure saved around 1,000 tonnes of CO₂. Existing qualities were deliberately preserved and interpreted in a contemporary way with new materials.

The RCL Hall continues the commitment to resource-efficient, ecological construction. For the expansion of production capacity, a 6,000 m² hybrid structure of wood and concrete was built. Over 1,300 m³ of wood and 180 large-format wooden pyramids as ceiling elements shape the building and provide optimal daylight.

The facade is made from production offcuts from the manufacture of glassfibre reinforced concrete panels. Using extensive data analysis and generative design methods, the existing material became the starting point for a new facade design. scrapcrete follows a radically new design approach: instead of designing first and then producing the necessary parts, the process begins with what already exists – the so-called leftover materials. Under the motto "Creating from what you have," not only is waste reduced, but a new design language is created, transforming material scarcity into creative abundance.

Both projects demonstrate, in different ways, how existing structures, innovative materials, and digital planning processes can be combined into forward-looking architecture – a concept now recognised internationally.