Nr
00241
Trigger
Project
Umbau
Text

‘Umbau’ is a travelling exhibition on the theme of ‘conversion of existing buildings’. We were commissioned by Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) to develop the exhibition title and visual identity, to design the exhibition graphics and a website, and to create animations, catalogues and much more. It was a major project with a wide range of applications, including Vaporetto station advertising and implementation tasks such as programming. The first exhibition took place on the ocsasion of the Biennale in Venice, followed by Hamburg, New York, Berlin, Shanghai and Munich.

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Shanghai 2025
© Amran Salleh

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New York 2024

© Erik Rank

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Venice 2023
© Marcus Bredt

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The official result of the naming process is the exhibition title ‘Umbau’ (conversion). Through the design though, the one title becomes two titles – ‘Umbau’ can here also be read as the imperative, ‘Bau um’ (convert). The two posters – the ‘Umbau’ poster and the ‘Bau um’ poster – can be combined to form infinitely large billboards. The key visual can be adapted to any surface and scaled to any format.

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Venice 2023
© Marcus Bredt

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Film Graphics
Shanghai 2025

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Facade
Shanghai 2025

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In moving images, it is the endless loop that demonstrates the ever-present need to adapt and rethink. The exhibition focuses on architecture as an ongoing process and highlights the continuity in gmp’s conversion practice; The subtitle ‘Nonstop Transformation’ complements the German title ‘Umbau’ (conversion), which is left untranslated in every context.

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Invitation

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Ad

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Sun Sail
Recycled

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Venice 2023
© Marcus Bredt

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Shanghai 2025
© Shi Wen, Jiang Bo

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Berlin 2025

© Jan Bitter

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In addition to the exhibition’s corporate identity, outdoor advertising materials and documentation such as the website and catalogues, we also designed the graphics for the exhibition. Working closely with the Joule Verne collective – exhibition concept developers and planners based in Hamburg – we designed a range of items, from information panels, banners, display boards and wall texts to ‘Reserved’ signs and model labels, all of which were tailored to each new venue.

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München 2025
© Florian Holzherr

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Venedig 2023
© Marcus Bredt

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© Amran Saleh

Webdeveloper:
Marco Land
Spatial Design:
Heidi Knaut
Spatial Design:
Amran Salleh