Tourist infra­structure as a location factor

URLAUBSARCHITEKTUR (UA): Mr Nagel, what are the most impressive pro­jects at the interface between archi­tecture and tourism that you per­so­nally have come across in recent years?

Archi­tecture and Bau­kultur [approx. trans­lation: Building Culture/Culture of Building] have his­to­ri­cally been the key drivers of tourism. Even today, there is no travel bro­chure without photos of the archi­tec­tural high­lights at the desti­nation. The way in which city tourism has uti­lised this prin­ciple in recent decades has cer­tainly been impressive. Ico­no­graphic new buil­dings have emerged as symbols of eco­nomic struc­tural change, but also as tourist desti­na­tions. From the Gug­genheim Museum in Bilbao to the Elb­phil­har­monie concert hall in Hamburg. Per­so­nally, I am most impressed by the fact that the high quality archi­tec­tural infra­structure has now also become a hallmark and often a decisive location factor in small towns and rural areas.

UA: Do buil­dings for tourism pur­poses play a signi­ficant role for the Federal Foun­dation of Bau­kultur?

Yes, tourist infra­structure is very important, espe­cially from the per­spective of Bau­kultur . Hotels, inns, cycling hostels and “spa archi­tecture” create social places and oppor­tu­nities to connect with the world. For guests and resi­dents alike. After all, being a guest is a cul­tural skill that is reflected in high-quality archi­tec­tural spaces. Back in 2020, the Federal Institute for Urban Deve­lo­pment and Spatial Planning BBSR pre­sented the study “Bau­kultur und Tou­rismus” (German version only) and demons­trated the importance of regional Bau­kultur in terms of location policy. For the Federal Foun­dation, the benefits of Bau­kultur are par­ti­cu­larly signi­ficant if it is pos­sible to pre­serve, reuse or convert buil­dings that cha­rac­terise the local area.

UA: Holidays offer the oppor­tunity to expe­rience and live in Bau­kultur for yourself. How can we make even better use of this oppor­tunity to convey the concept of Bau­kultur?

A suc­cessful holiday also has some­thing to do with a change of scenery. Spending the night or living in a very special place may even leave a more lasting impression than the holiday weather or the food. In Switz­erland, you can try living in heritage listed buil­dings to get a feel for an old house yourself. (Edi­tor’s note: You can read the interview with Christine Matthey, Managing Director of the Ferien im Bau­denkmal Foun­dation [Holidays in Heritage Listed Buil­dings] here). Of course, this is also about con­veying the story behind the building. According to Goethe, we only see what we know. But con­versely, we also need con­vincing visual objects and a positive expe­rience of archi­tecture with all our senses.

UA: In your opinion, what should our partners pay par­ti­cular attention to in order to realise future pro­jects appro­priately or to further develop existing pro­jects in a sus­tainable way?

I believe that future pro­jects should be based even more than before on remo­delling rather than on new con­s­truction or repla­cement con­s­truction. There is huge potential in this. Not only in terms of climate- and envi­ron­men­tally- fri­endly con­s­truction, but also in terms of rea­lising existing atmo­spheric potential. We are talking about the golden energy inherent in existing buil­dings. Those who reco­gnise this and lead it into the future create a high social benefit. Financial fea­si­bility is usually a given with good planning that works with and not against the building. And many project par­ti­ci­pants can confirm from expe­rience that high-quality mate­rials, good work­manship and great fle­xi­bility of use pay off over its life cycle.

UA: Wouldn’t it actually be time to award a nati­onwide prize for exem­plary archi­tecture in tourism?

Good idea. Award pro­ce­dures are like the finishing touch to everyday dishes. In con­s­truction, the refe­rences for Bau­kultur become visible here. This has worked very well for the Bavarian artouro Tou­ris­mAr­chi­tec­ture­Prize since 2011. The orga­nisers here are the Bavarian Chamber of Archi­tects and the the Ministry of Food, Agri­culture, Forestry and Tourism. A similar con­stel­lation would cer­tainly also make sense at the national level, as the German Tou­ris­mAr­chi­tecture Award.

UA: What is important to you per­so­nally on holiday? And what are the “no gos” for you?

On holiday, I look for harmony between an intact cul­tural land­scape, a lively, not too tou­risty holiday desti­nation and beau­tiful accom­mo­dation. It’s actually banal, but it’s not a given. A “no go” for me would be if this triad is only arti­fi­cially staged in a holiday resort. I find such a promise of luxury, even at a high price, unin­te­resting because it lacks authen­ticity and soul.

Since 2007, the Federal Foun­dation of Bau­kultur, based in Potsdam, has been an inde­pendent orga­ni­sation pro­moting Bau­kultur. To this end, it anchors the topic of Bau­kultur in society at the national level and com­mu­ni­cates its importance to the general public. It the­r­efore acts as an advocate for high-quality con­s­truction planning and rea­li­sation. It also acts as a platform that pro­motes public dia­logue on Bau­kultur through events, publi­ca­tions and col­la­bo­ra­tions, as well as expanding and con­so­li­dating existing net­works.

Reiner Nagel, architect and urban planner BDA + DASL, has been Chairman of the Board of the Federal Foun­dation of Bau­kultur since 2013. Pre­viously, he was head of department in the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Deve­lo­pment for the areas of urban deve­lo­pment, urban and open space planning and nature con­ser­vation (since 2005). Reiner Nagel has worked for the City of Hamburg in various func­tions at a dis­trict and senate level since 1986, most recently as a member of the management board of HafenCity Hamburg GmbH from 1998. He is a lec­turer in Urban Design at the Tech­nical Uni­versity of Berlin, a member of the German Academy for Urban and Regional Planning and an asso­ciate member of the Asso­ciation of German Archi­tects.

Interview: Ulrich Stefan Knoll, January 2024
Photo: © Lidia Tirri