The 10th edition of the DAM Preis 2026 has been awarded to Peter Grundmann Architekten for the ZK/U Center for Art and Urbanistics, an adaptive reuse project in Berlin, Germany. The project transforms a former single-story warehouse at a freight station in Berlin-Moabit into a cultural meeting place. The jury recognized the practice's transformative approach, highlighting the use of an above-average amount of manual labor and a modest budget to encase the existing hall in a lightweight steel-and-glass structure and add an additional floor. Developed in close collaboration with the non-profit association KUNSTrePUBLIK e. V., the project supports a wide-ranging public program established at the former freight station since 2012, including exhibitions, performances, artist residencies, repair workshops, neighborhood markets, and public viewings. Peter Grundmann Architekten was selected through a Europe-wide tender process and commissioned to build the acclaimed extension in 2019.
Awarded by the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) in cooperation with JUNG, the DAM Preis 2026 followed a multi-phase jury process. The ZK/U Center was commended for its carefully articulated construction, in which structural loads are clearly legible and transferred to new columns. While the original structure remains largely unchanged, non-load-bearing walls were retained, and the former storage hall on the ground floor was preserved as a shell that now defines the main event space. Beneath it, a vaulted cellar accommodates exhibition spaces and a bar.
The existing structure is enveloped by a second, lightweight spatial layer made primarily of glass with minimal steel. This envelope provides thermal protection and meets energy requirements without additional insulation. On the entrance side, it forms a foyer and windbreak, while on the garden side, it extends six meters deep to accommodate a bar area. A prestressed slab supports the new second floor, and recessed façades provide solar protection. A wide access gallery ensures circulation to all rooms and enhances interior flexibility, while exterior steel staircases connect both levels to a large roof terrace. The ZK/U is embedded within a public park maintained by the association.
Buildings nominated for the DAM Preis 2026 were required to have been completed between late 2023 and spring 2025. Approximately 100 buildings and ensembles were nominated following extensive research by DAM and an advisory board of experts, including Ursula Baus, Christina Beaumont, c/o now, Lukas Fink, Florian Fischer, Florian Heilmeyer, Angelika Hinterbrandner, Christian Holl, David Kasparek, Katja Knaus, Moritz Kölling, Mario Krämer, Katharina Matzig, Eun-A Pauly, Elina Potratz, Jan O. Schulz, Something Fantastic, Heiner Stengel, Finn Warncke, Christian von Wissel, and Uta Winterhager.
The 2026 edition reflects several recurring themes in contemporary German architecture. Residential projects continue to represent a significant proportion of the nominations, often rethinking conventional floor plans in response to changing lifestyles. In cultural architecture, the emphasis has shifted away from iconic standalone buildings toward the creation of "third places" offering expanded public programs. The growing number of timber and timber-hybrid buildings confirms the increasing relevance of sustainable construction, while adaptive reuse, renovation, and conversion projects continue to play a key role in revitalizing neglected town centers.
Additional nominations were submitted by the chambers of architects of Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, and Thuringia. No restrictions were placed on building typology, size, or construction budget. In the second phase, a jury chaired by architect Aline Hielscher selected 21 projects for the shortlist. Following a jury trip, the ZK/U Center for Art and Urbanistics was chosen along with 4 other projects:
- Aretz Dürr Architektur – Wohnen F // 9, modular densification, Cologne
- Etal. – Das robuste Haus – Multi-generational House Görzer128, Munich
- Hild Und K Architekten – Overnight shelter with medical facilities, Munich
- PPAG Architects – Dual-school Allee der Kosmonauten, Berlin
Since 2017, all longlisted projects have been published annually in the Architekturführer Deutschland, in geographical order. The 2026 edition, published by DOM publishers, is now available, and the full longlist can be accessed at dam-preis.de. In other news related to awards and recognition in the field of architecture, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced that Irish architect, educator, and writer Níall McLaughlin will receive the 2026 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture. Earlier in January, the International Union of Architects (UIA), in partnership with UN-Habitat, released the Stage 1 results of the third cycle of the UIA 2030 Award, identifying the projects selected as Regional Finalists. More recently, the OBEL Foundation announced "Systems Hack" as the focus of its 2026 cycle, establishing the conceptual framework that will guide the foundation's activities and the selection of the next OBEL Award.
