What defines beautiful architecture?

The choice to grant the 2026 DAM Preis to Peter Grundmann Architekten for the ZK/U project in Berlin was controversial. Alongside approval, critics took to social media and, in some cases, the news to express their outrage at the decision. The cause for concern: the aesthetics. Building on the debate, the 73rd BDA Dialogue will provide a platform for discussion and ideas.

4/1/2026

‘Bold, authentic, almost brazen’: this is how the Rheinpfalz newspaper described the decision regarding the 2026 DAM Preis. The Swiss newspaper NZZ wrote: ‘Why beauty no longer plays a role in architecture.’ In the culture pages of the FAZ, under the provocative headline “Reliably ugly”, the “absence of beauty” was lamented, which the socially and ecologically correct opinion leaders of the scene were said to be causing – and that something was amiss in the architectural interplay between community and society.

Are contemporary jury statements such as 'casual ease' with regard to award-winning projects replacing the three principles of Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, the Roman architect, engineer and architectural theorist who lived in the 1st century BC, as the defining characteristics of good architecture? Are strength, utility and beauty still the yardsticks for “proper” or even “beautiful” architecture – or must a new aesthetic be developed in the face of rapid geopolitical and ecological change? Is there a paradigm shift in architecture? Reason enough to discuss it.

73rd BDA Dialogue
Firmitas, utilitas, informality? – Aesthetics in flux?
Monday, 20 April 2026, 7 pm
BDA Wechselraum, Stuttgart

With:
Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir, Berlin, Stuttgart
Max Dudler, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich
Peter Grundmann, Berlin

Moderator:
Peter Cachola Schmal, Frankfurt am Main

Venue:
BDA Wechselraum
Zeppelin Carré (courtyard), Friedrichstr. 5
70174 Stuttgart

Tip: The 73rd BDA Dialogue "firmitas, utilitas, hemdsärmligkeit? – Aesthetics in Transition?" is recognised by the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects as continuing professional development for the field of architecture, comprising 1.5 teaching hours for members and architects/urban planners on placement. Please register at the start of the stream via the link or QR code displayed on screen. At the end of the discussion, we will need further confirmation from you to verify your attendance.

This year, Stylepark is a media partner and a member of the jury of the DAM Preis for Architecture in Germany.