Fuggerei Next500 Pavilion, Augsburg, Bavarian Architectural Development, German Building Project, Architecture Images
Fuggerei Next500 Pavilion in Augsburg
6 May 2022
Design: MVRDV
Location: Pöcking, Bavaria, Germany

Photos © Eckhart Matthäus, © MVRDV
Fuggerei Next500 Pavilion, Germany
The Fuggerei in Augsburg is the world?s oldest social housing complex. In celebration of their 500th anniversary, the Fugger Foundations initiated an interdisciplinary debate on the topic of housing, culminating in the presentation of a ?Fuggerei Code? for the future of social housing, alongside a series of studies for future Fuggereien around the world. The Next500 Pavilion, outside the town hall in the Fuggerei?s home city of Augsburg, is the epicentre of this debate and programme.
The pavilion is a long, narrow, gabled building, its form inspired by the long terraced houses of the Fuggerei itself. However, rather than a single straight block, one end of the pavilion is curved and raised up to suggest its role in looking out to the future Fuggereien, both in Augsburg and around the world. This lifted end forms an 8.5-metre cantilever that provides a lookout point to view the town hall itself. Thanks to the curved shape, a part of the town hall square is enclosed between the pavilion and the adjacent Augustus Fountain, creating an intimate plaza suitable for a variety of events.

Inside, the pavilion is split into various rooms for the exhibition and events. These rooms also refer to t...