Architectural office GRAFT: extra class & future – company

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New prestigious properties are currently being built, as described in the introduction, for example for E.ON and Volocopter. For E.ON GRAFT builds at the new, large E-car charging network and designs charging stations. Another project with a great future is Volocopter, one of the first air cabs that will soon conquer metropolises worldwide. In Germany, too, air cabs are soon to take up their first test flights. But, before we take a look at individual objects from GRAFT, here’s a brief look at the company:

History, founders and establishment in LA

The architecture firm GRAFT was founded by Lars Krückeberg, Wolfram Putz and Thomas Willemeint in Los Angeles, back in 1998. Since then, many flagship projects have been built, especially in Berlin. These include, for example, the KU64 and the BRLO, here in Berlin.

Behind every great undertaking is a higher goal. For GRAFT Architekturbüro, it is said that it was founded as a label for architecture, urban planning, design, music and “the pursuit of happiness,” as it says on the architects’ website.

“the pursuit of happiness”

The founders Lars Krückeberg, Wolfram Putz and Thomas Willemeint, have GRAFT now expanded to over 150 employees, 3 of them even in Beijing. Thus GRAFT is already in the future market: China. While airports in Germany have gladly times 10 years building time, one realizes airports here 3x so largely, in 10 months building time.

Tip: Read more about Investing in China (real estate).

Interior Architecture:

Building to the heights:

Architecture firm at a glance

GRAFT company at a glance:

• Founders: Lars Krückeberg, Wolfram Putz, and Thomas Willemeint
• Founded: 1998
• Founding location: Los Angeles, California (USA)
• Headquarters: 3 continents
• Employees: 150 (as of 2021)
• Projects (new): E.ON charging stations, Volocopter

Graft about itself:

“We refuse the traditional, virtual and real boundaries in the world of work and are thus able to offer more opportunities and an ever-expanding range of solutions in our work.”

Source: graftlab.com

Awards and prizes

In 2015 alone, it rained awards, including the “Red Dot Design Award, Communication Design, Visualization for Objekt Carpet”, but also the “Iconic Award 2016, Interior Innovation, CAELA Lighting System”. The last year, with official list can currently be found from 2019. Here is a small excerpt, with other prizes and awards won by GRAFT architecture office.

Awards and prizes, excerpt 2019:

• Award German Housing, Paragon Apartments, 1st prize
• Iconic Awards 2019: Innovative Architecture, Natureisstadion Schierke, Winner
• German Design Award 2019, Natureisstadion Schierke, Special Mention

Graft in Berlin: Tour & Architecture

Let’s start a little city tour, through the districts of Berlin, or two locations with GRAFT villas.

Villa M in Grunewald: boulder, spaceship – unique

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One of the GRAFT designer villas, you can take a drive through Berlin Grunewald, one of the most exclusive districts in Berlin, visit yourself. About this property was also already reported in many, renowned real estate magazines.

In fact, compared to the others, the property is very eye-catching, because very futuristic. The property itself was built with ceramic tiles that were specially made by a company in Potsdam, so each one is truly unique.

From a distance, it looks like a boulder thrown into the plot. The geometric shape, probably makes this villa particularly interesting for men. It reminds both of the erratic block, and of a spaceship. In fact, that’s what architecture is all about:

Not just living, being! Inspiring architecture

GRAFT Villa M is a real statement in Berlin Grunewald. The object fits into the typical Berlin image, straight surfaces, facades, white walls and paints. For anyone who wants to “stand out from the crowd here”, a real investment in unique architecture.

Villa M – frontal view of the object:

Villa M – View from the garden / plot:

Villa in Inselstrasse: Hollywood star as builder

Even more imposing than Villa M in Berlin-Grunewald, however, is a property on Inselstraße. One of the most exclusive spots in Berlin, no 40 properties, private island. Here lives so to speak (also) the Who-is-Who of the Berlin economy. We do not want to name names out of discretion.

More precisely on Schwanenwerder Island, this unusual luxury villa with guest house, boathouse and over 1,000 square meters of living space, plus 10,000 square meters of land. The property here is reminiscent of a runway, extremely imposing, large, long and extends to the lake. Like the villa in Berlin-Grunewald, it stands out completely from the rest of the villas and estates in Inselstraße. No other property is so modern.

The original builder of this imposing villa (Brad Pitt), but then did not move in himself.

The villa, below the wall is water (lake), by the way:

Image credits: Wikipedia / Fridolin freudenfett (Peter Kuley), CC BY-SA 3.0

Location in Berlin:

“Charly Living”: neighborhood at Checkpoint Charlie

There are imposing buildings in the residential sector, including mixed-use properties, for example, in the middle of Berlin at Checkpoint Charlie. This quarter is home to hundreds of residential units. Thus, it is not only an architectural highlight in Berlin-Mitte, but also a place of residence for a great many people. Thus, the architectural office shows that concepts implemented in villas can also be applied in residential construction.

Still, we’re still on the “smaller” projects that the architecture firm is doing.

Future architecture: E.ON, Volocopter & Co.

GRAFT Architect will continue to set absolute standards in the future. Two absolutely distinguishing projects are currently, for example, E.ON and Volocopter.

For E.ON, the architecture firm is currently developing a wide variety of charging stations in a wide variety of environments. In the middle of the Frankfurt skyline, between skyscrapers and banks, in the countryside, right next to the highway, virtually everywhere. A complete charging infrastructure for e-cars is to be created. This will give electric car mobility in Germany a boost and thus also open up a completely new area for GRAFT, in which they are once again pioneers.

Another very interesting project, are the ports GRAFT is currently developing for the air cab provider Volocopter. Volocopter will be the first air cab in Germany and is expected to start activity in a very short time, or rather test it for the time being. The architecture firm won the competition for this worldwide project and is now developing concepts that will enable future air cabs to land on various terraces. This will then include, for example, the typical skyscraper (in Frankfurt) that can be found in any major city. Likewise, ports are built that can be used in harbors (as in Hamburg), meaning they float on water.

That was a little insight, into the work of Graft. Founded in 1998, the architectural firm has over 20 years of experience combined together, with three founders and entrepreneurs. More about the company can be found here: GRAFT Lab.

Virtual realtor: Real estates 4.0

When you ask architects, builders and other people in the real estate industry what inspires them, it is usually the future. Future, is the change of reality and always brings different aspects.

While the world of real estate keeps turning over the years, buildings become more modern, require less energy, create different cityscapes, the presentation of real estate has often remained at a standstill, in the classic real estate exposé.

Future architecture: just one example from Berlin

To stay in the example of architecture, architectural firms such as Graft in Berlin show how to design modern buildings for future-oriented cities. Urban development that is no longer expressed in the typical, boring facades, but in elements, shapes and materials that bring completely new visual hotspots to the city architecture.

For example, if you look at the villas built by the architects in Berlin, for example in Grunewald, you can see this unique architecture from hundreds of meters. As well as the “Villa M”, a cube made of ceramic plates, each one unique. From the outside, the entire architecture is reminiscent of a giant erratic block. A true one-of-a-kind, as is the outer ceramic casing. In all of Berlin Grunewald, a unique object. Such pioneers are needed so that new ideas can emerge.

But pioneers do not only exist in architecture. There is now also the first real estate portal, with virtual avatar “Ella”, for presentation.

Change in presentation: virtual exposé

What if you could present any property, without an extra visit to the site, moderated? Be possible in 2021!

Digital avatars present real estate

First, what is a digital avatar? Digitalization is on the rise. In architecture, as described above, in building technology and also in presentation. So virtual, digital people are taking over presentation and moderation.

Especially for supra-regional realtors, who have properties not only in their own area, but in other cities, states or even countries, the presentation of a property involves a relatively large amount of effort. Travel must be organized, not only for the realtor himself, but also for the potential buyer, in the further step.

• Model agency: Ella (VR)

With this new technology, the entire laborious process can be skipped, the property is presented by a digital avatar.

Example: Real estate portal with digital presentation

Pictures say more than a thousand words, so here is a small video:

Source: GetKey

Here, for the very first time in the world, a virtual avatar presents a property. Absolute top performance! Here technology combines with one of the largest economic sectors of this planet, the real estate industry.

Program code & CGI design: making ideas real

Digital avatars are animated from program code, partially post-processed with CGI design. This is how ideas are turned into reality, virtual persons who can then travel to places, talk about topics and much more.

In fact, we are thus only at the beginning of the journey in the real estate industry.

XXL precast factories and 3D printers

XXL Prefabrication Factories – Today, the first factories are being developed to develop entire prefabricated parts for high-rise buildings, for entire housing developments, not just the individual prefabricated house.

3D Printers – 3D printers are now shaping houses so that building materials no longer need to be purchased at great expense, everything comes easily and quickly from 3D printing. Here’s a short video demonstrating how a 3D printer builds a house in no time.

Just as construction companies, developers and the building industry are changing, so will the marketing of real estate, in the wake of digitalization.

Presentation of house & apartment through videos: Supraregional

Until now, real estate exposés were preferred by almost everyone. No between technology of presentation he has really prevailed, for example, 360 ° house tours. Why? It lacks the human element, someone to guide through the property.

Of course, as a real estate realtor, you could cover the presentation with a video, so prospective buyers see the property before visiting (just from photos). But this has two disadvantages. Either you have to moderate yourself, that is also be on site, or someone else has to do it and convey the same spirit, the same still know how, as the real estate realtor. Another disadvantage, the language. Do you know Israeli? Spanish? French?

In short, the presentation of the property has different factors, from location to languages. So, as soon as properties need to reach a national or international audience rather than just a regional one, the effort of presentation increases.

Lure new target groups: Marketing tool for real estate realtors / portals

Just as in the entire economy, the real estate industry is also about supply and demand. The new generation of future real estate owners, by purchase or inheritance, has grown up with the Internet. They jump on other carriers (trigger factor).

Therefore, new concepts are needed, also in real estate marketing. On the one hand in the marketing of condominiums, which are sold individually to private persons, for example over real estate portals, just as with the sales of luxury real estates, which are now times more difficult over a badly made Immobilienexposé, as PDF to sell.

If you also want to show innovation, you can’t avoid new marketing strategies. Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft) gave the Internet only a few years in the beginning. Today, more than 20 years later, many real estate realtors, realtor offices and real estate portals are using social networks such as Facebook and Instagram (Social Marketing [external]).

Strategy: Reaching Generation Z

In Israel, a new project has now been launched that has never been seen before in the world. The above already to see in the example video, real estate are presented by “Ella” here.

Source: GetKey

Voice use in technology – Putting digital people in commercials, breathing emotion into them, a really difficult job. The next stage was now to integrate speech, so that Ella becomes a multi speech talent. As seen in example video (above), for example in Hebrew. This way, Israeli customers are specifically adressed on the website.