IMIAD | Architectural Construction Kits

From October 2025 to February 2026, the Deutsches Architekturmuseum Frankfurt am Main (DAM) is presenting an exhibition of historical architectural construction kits that collector Claus Krieger has amassed over many years. In cooperation with the IMIAD Master's degree programme at HFT Stuttgart, exhibition stations have been developed that allow different approaches to the sensitive construction kits.

Publications
Architectural building sets 1890-1990 - The big play-along exhibition | DAM Online
Beyond Lego: The exhibition "Architectural Building Sets" as a design project | BauNetz CAMPUS

1st and 3rd Semesters | Winter Semester 24/25 

The students of the first and third IMIAD semesters worked in two groups to make the interactive and playful background of the model kits tangible for the exhibition audience in different ways. The "analogues" (supervised by Prof. Andreas Kretzer) developed interpretations of selected model kits as physical models on an enlarged scale with which the exhibition audience can playfully build. Particular attention was paid to the staging, the material, the production method and the joining of components. The "digital" team (supervised by Prof. Dr Philipp Reinfeld and Norbert Pape) conceived and designed a physically tangible, interactive VR experience that allows exhibition visitors to experience the architectural effect of various model architectures "to scale" using XR headsets. The results based on the original geometries and building instructions are intended to enable visitors to create their own buildings from different model kits.

Students
Madison Cumbee, Emilia Evertz, Emma Grimm, Connor Kasner, Sebastian Kindle, Lena Kupferschmid, Janina Lamm, Luisa Leetz, Katharina Mayer, Abigail Miklowski, Laura Nebe, Annika Nuß, Vaishnavi Prasad, Lars Roth, Kirsten Schäfer, Maren Schnell, Laureen Seider, Pulin Thumrongthaisakul, Diane von Ludwiger, Svenja Warners, Joy Weiss, Melissa Wilcox, Katrin Wunder

Supervised by Prof. Andreas Kretzer

Students
Sarah Adams, Lena Brandt, Franziska Denk, Anna Dolderer, Andreea Ghit, Afra Gölzer, Florian Hörtig, Marie Jähnisch, Yannice Keller, Pauline Kindermann, Amira Klimpel, Sydney Luebbe, Selina Meinert, Leyla Minks, Annika Ramge, Kathleen Ratz, Luise Störkel, Dilara Türetken, Alicia Weiss

Supervised by Prof. Dr. Philipp Reinfeld with Norbert Pape (Unity)

Compulsory Elective Subject in Summer Semester 25

Replicas of sensitive architectural construction kits on an enlarged scale are intended to enable the exhibition audience to become active themselves. In a first phase, concepts for nine physical exhibition stations were developed. The final development and production of five selected architectural construction kits, which have to withstand months of play and experimentation, including building instructions, took place in the summer semester.

Students
Akro Lilli Bastian, Fabian Bernad, Sarah Färber, Johanna Knop, Irina Maier, Carolina Resner, Nicole Volk 
Architecto Desideria Aigner, Mohammed Al Khatib, Maria Dekundy, Sina Knobel, Jasmin Kraft, Arber Osmanaj, Vanessa Seydel, Melina Stocker 
Bâtiss Lisa Albrecht, Antonia Fink, Carlotta Frei, Vera Juliane Raubler, Ella Schmiedel, Lena Schupp, Inga-Lill Seitz, Lorena Wörner 
Ingenius Pablo Andre, Janek Dangel, Max Kuner, Alexander Ludwig, Paul Schirmer, Micha Stephan 
Skyline Hanna Albrecht, Rayvon Fäller, Leonard Jansen, Viktoria Richter, Ben Schmitt

Supervised by Prof. Andreas Kretzer

with the support of the workshops of the Faculty of Architecture and Design (Jürgen Aldinger, Romano Bianchi, Holger Bitterberg, Elisabeth Bokesch, Philip Spoun)

Compulsory Elective Subject in Summer Semester 25

Students
Marie Jähnisch, Kathleen Ratz

Supervised by Prof. Philipp Reinfeld

with the support of Alexander Baur, XR+LAB

2nd Semester Master Interior Architecture and Incomings Bachelor Interior Architecture | Summer Semester 25 

The students are to use virtual reality technology to enable playful and interactive access to the sensitive historical architectural building blocks. The designs are realised using Meta Quest 3 XR glasses and the VR real-time construction software VRoxel.

VRoxel working environment
The VRoxel (VR Digital Material Modeler) software developed by architect Jan Philipp Drude is an immersive design environment for designing large quantities of discrete building blocks in space. With the help of three-dimensional brushes, building blocks can be drawn additively and subtractively directly into the space. This enables a high-resolution architectural design of small building blocks that reacts to specific spaces and performative human actions.

Realisation
In the design, joint assemblies are to be developed using the building blocks available in various historical model kits. These connections can be implemented in the VRoxel software using the 3D modelled building blocks. In a laser-scanned 3D model of the exhibition hall of the DAM, spatial interventions and comments on the existing architecture by Oswald Matthias Ungers are then to be developed using the building block assemblies on a 1:1 real scale. Visitors to the exhibition will be encouraged to continue the designs on a real scale and realise their own design ideas.

Students
Akshita Agarwal, Emma Bardolet Creus, Janset Canbek, Judith David, Elsa Galan Plana, Daya Kanyas, Ariana Meza Fonseca, Ania Retezan, Afra Tanisman, Moulshree Verma

Supervised by Prof. Andreas Kretzer, Prof. Dr. Philipp Reinfeld and Jan Philipp Drude (VRoxel)