Architecture News Plus (ANP) – Architecture and Design Magazine

Urban-Think Tank

Profile of Urban-Think Tank, headquartered in Switzerland. Five projects submitted by Urban-Think Tank have been published on Architecture News Plus (ANP).

: [L-R] Alfredo Brillembourg and Hubert Klumpner – © Urban-Think Tank

Principals

Alfredo Brillembourg
Hubert Klumpner

Brief description

Urban-Think Tank is an interdisciplinary design practice dedicated to high-level research and design on a variety of subjects, concerned with contemporary architecture and urbanism. The philosophy of U-TT is to deliver innovative yet practical solutions through the combined skills of architects, civil engineers, environmental planners, landscape architects, and communication specialists. In 1993, Alfredo Brillembourg founded U-TT in Caracas, Venezuela, and in 1998, Hubert Klumpner joined as co-director. Since 2007, Brillembourg and Klumpner have taught at Columbia University, where they founded the Sustainable Living Urban Model Laboratory (S.L.U.M. Lab), and since July 2010, they hold the chair for Architecture and Urban Design at the Swiss Institute of Technology, ETH in ZÃ¼rich. Their work concerns both theoretical and practical applications within architecture and urban planning. Working in global contexts by creating bridges between first world industry and third world, informal urban areas, they focus on the education and development of a new generation of professionals, who will transform cities in the 21st century. They have been awarded the 2010 Ralph Erskine Award from the Swedish Association of Architects for their innovation in architecture and urban design with regard to social, ecological and aesthetic aspects.

Alfredo Brillembourg: Born in New York in 1961. He received his Bachelor of Art and Architecture in 1984 and his Master of Science in Architectural Design in 1986 from Columbia University. In 1992, he received a second architecture degree from the Central University of Venezuela and began his independent practice in architecture. In 1993 he founded Urban-Think Tank (U-TT) in Caracas, Venezuela. Brillembourg has been a guest professor at the University José Maria Vargas, the University Simon Bolívar and the Central University of Venezuela. Starting in 2007, he has been a guest professor at the Graduate School of Architecture and Planning, Columbia University, where he co-founded the Sustainable Living Urban Model Laboratory (S.L.U.M. Lab) with Hubert Klumpner. Additionally, he has lectured on architecture at conferences around the world such as GSD in Boston, AEDES in Berlin, UCV in Caracas, UMSA in Miami, Berlage in Rotterdam, FAU in Sao Paulo, and UCLA in Los Angeles. Along with Hubert Klumpner, Brillembourg holds the chair for Architecture and Urban Design at the Swiss Institute of Technology in Zürich, Switzerland. Brillembourg and Klumpner received the Ralph Erskine Award 2010.

Hubert Klumpner: Born in Salzburg, Austria in 1965, graduated in 1993 from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna in the Master Class of Prof. Hans Hollein. Klumpner worked with Enrique Miralles and Paul Rudolph before receiving a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University in 1995. He has been a member of the German Chamber of Architects since 1997. In 1998 Klumpner joined Alfredo Brillembourg as Director of Urban-Think Tank (U-TT) in Caracas. Starting in 2007, Klumpner became a guest professor at the Graduate School of Architecture and Planning, Columbia University, where he co-founded the Sustainable Living Urban Model Laboratory (S.L.U.M. Lab). Additionally, he has lectured on architecture at conferences around the world such as GSD in Boston, AEDES in Berlin, UCV in Caracas, UMSA in Miami, Berlage in Rotterdam, FAU in Sao Paulo, and UCLA in Los Angeles. Along with Alfredo Brillembourg, Klumpner holds the chair for Architecture and Urban Design at the Swiss Institute of Technologyin Zürich, Switzerland. Brillembourg and Klumpner received the Ralph Erskine Award 2010.

Published projects

: Metro Cable by Urban-Think Tank The first part of this project involved a new and revolutionary approach to urban planning. Our extensive past experience working in the barrios and with their...

: FAVA School by Urban-Think Tank The “Voz Alta” Autistic Foundation’s new headquarters and educational building will be located in the Caracas municipality of Baruta. The school is...

: Vertical Gymnasium in Chacao by Urban-Think Tank The Vertical Gymnasium at Barrio La Cruz (Bello Campo), constructed on just over 1,000 m2, transforms the site of a former makeshift soccer field into a...

: Hacienda la Garza by Urban-Think Tank For the Hacienda la Garza project, we aided in the development of an eco-tourist complex in the heart of the Amazon. The general design concept was centered...

: Altazor House by Urban-Think Tank Altazor's interior design retains its striking, spatial dynamics, while providing the opportunity to "discover" the garden and vistas from the strategically...