Alexander Strub: The End Is the New Beginning of Design
Circular Design Starts Long Before Demolition
With the introduction of the Circular Design category, the German Design Awards sends a clear signal for a fundamental shift in the way we design and build. The award recognises projects that see materials not as resources with an expiration date, but as part of a long-term cycle. At the heart of these projects are solutions that integrate reuse, disassembly and material value into the design process from the very beginning.
This is exactly the approach behind the award-winning project “Feierabendziegel: From has-been to must-have?”, developed by Drees & Sommer together with EPEA – Part of Drees & Sommer and Münchner Wohnen. At its centre is a seemingly ordinary object: an 80-year-old clay roof tile. Instead of ending up as construction waste, it becomes the symbol of a new way of thinking. An approach to architecture that sees existing buildings not as obsolete, but as valuable resources. For Alexander Strub, this is where the circular economy truly begins.
“When we start designing and planning, we need to think about the end.”
For decades, architecture followed a linear model: build, use, demolish. For Strub, that mindset is no longer fit for purpose. “We need to understand a building as a material depot.”
That single shift changes the entire logic of design. Suddenly, different questions become essential. How can components be dismantled later? How can materials be separated cleanly? And how can they remain valuable resources decades from now? These questions influence not only construction methods and material choices, but the architectural concept itself. The end of a building becomes part of its beginning.
The Construction Industry's Biggest Calculation Error
Why, then, is circular construction still often perceived as being more expensive? For Strub, the answer lies in the way we calculate value. “The idea that linear construction is cheaper than circular construction is simply a calculation error.”
Existing materials are often assigned a value of zero in traditional economic models. Even though they physically exist and still hold significant value. That is exactly what Feierabendziegel challenges. The old roof tile is no longer seen as waste, but as a high-quality building material with a second life. “Maybe the raw materials we need are no longer in the quarry—they're already on our rooftops.”
For Strub, Circular Design is therefore about much more than conserving resources. “Circular construction is not only resource-efficient, it also makes economic sense.”
Designing buildings for future reuse inevitably changes the way they are designed. Materials are combined differently. Connections become reversible.
For Strub, this is not a limitation, but a new creative freedom. “A completely new aesthetic can emerge. And once you understand why that aesthetic exists, it suddenly gains a very different kind of quality.”
In fact, he believes the most radical design approach may be the one where nothing new is built at all—but where existing buildings are thoughtfully transformed instead. Circular Design therefore changes not only the flow of materials, but our entire understanding of what architecture can be.
Great Design Doesn't Need Excuses
To conclude, Alexander Strub has a simple message for designers. Challenge familiar ideas. Be willing to experiment. Stay open to unexpected solutions. “Allow yourself to try something new.”
Because great design is never defined by its constraints.
“Good design has nothing to do with the circumstances. Either you can design well or you can't.”
For that reason, Circular Design does not limit creativity. On the contrary, it challenges designers to rethink architecture in ways that are environmentally responsible, economically viable and creatively ambitious at the same time.
How Is Circular Design Changing Your Design Process?
With the introduction of the Circular Design category, the German Design Awards makes it clear that sustainable design goes far beyond energy efficiency or recycling. It celebrates projects that treat materials as long-term resources and consider the entire life cycle of a product or building from the outset.
If your project offers new answers to the challenges of our time, we look forward to your submission to the German Design Awards 2027.
Take the opportunity to present your work to an international jury and become part of a global network of design excellence.
