1. InitiativeWhere does transformation begin? Often with a local spark—a person, a place, a moment of tension or possibility. AFEA initiates and supports processes that question the status quo, create alliances, and set change in motion.
2. ConceptIdeas are fragile—but they’re also where everything begins. In this field, AFEA develops spatial strategies, narratives, and formats that translate complex realities into coherent, place-based concepts. We prototype futures, and invite others to shape them with us.
3. Construction
We see building as more than the final step—it’s part of a larger choreography. AFEA supports implementation processes that are reversible, local, and circular. From material cycles to social ones, we think construction anew.
4. ResearchOur work is driven by curiosity. We ask: What can rural spaces teach us? What rituals, methods, and models are worth reimagining? AFEA’s research is open-ended, transdisciplinary, and always in dialogue with practice.
5. Consulting
How can ecological, economic, and social goals align without compromise? We offer strategic guidance and technical expertise—from life cycle assessments to funding applications—always tailored to the context, and grounded in long-term thinking.
Initiative 1.5- Haus für alle(s)
- Werder (Havel), 2018
- Collaboration with a citizens’ movement
The small town of Werder, together with a private investor, planned to build a large thermal bath complex. Shortly before completion, the two parties separated due to a dispute. The nearly finished building remained unused for many years and became a construction ruin. A citizens’ initiative was formed, advocating for public facilities such as schools, kindergartens, a music school, and a youth center instead of a luxurious spa. For the initiative, we proposed a concept showing how the building could be repurposed to accommodate all the new uses without major structural alterations - a kindergarten with a playground in the former pool, a youth center with a skate park in the former pool bar, rehearsal rooms for the music school in the former massage rooms, and classrooms in the former saunas.
Contact
AFEA Association For Ecological Architecture
Gotzkowskystraße 33
10555 Berlin
Kirchplatz 6
39615 Werben (Elbe)
mail@afea.site
@afea.site
Current Team
Jurek Brüggen
Christian Cotting
Jalma Fiolka
Patrick Holzer
Luisa Klocke
Lara Makhoul
Cintia Macuka
Aimée Michelfelder
Caterina Ricci
Emily Schlatter
Antonia Stahl