The interdisciplinary planning firm formicon is expanding its network through the integration of landscape architecture practice Kraft.Raum. With this step, around 60 specialists in open-space development, climate-resilient urban planning, and architectural competitions are joining the group. Led by René Rheims, the practice maintains offices in Düsseldorf, Esslingen, and Hamburg, managing projects for the public sector, commercial clients, and institutional investors.
The landscape architects' range of services extends from urban district master plans to university campuses, residential environments, and the redesign of public realms. Alongside design tasks, the firm carries out urban studies, framework plans, and structured public consultation processes. The team also covers technical disciplines such as urban rainwater management and building greening.
Expansion of design and ESG capabilities
A key hallmark of Kraft.Raum is its track record in architectural and landscape competitions. The practice has secured first prizes in major projects such as the Cologne Justice Centre, Zollhafen Mainz, and Campus Melaten at RWTH Aachen. Recent successes include winning the competition alongside Lorber Paul Architekten for the Brainergy Forum in Jülich, which is designed to serve as a hub for culture and innovation.
- —Planning of green-blue infrastructure for proactive heavy rainfall management
- —Concepts for surface unsealing and facade greening to mitigate urban overheating
- —Development of urban framework plans including facilitated stakeholder participation processes
- —Integration of ecological compensation areas to enhance biodiversity
Cross-disciplinary integration in the planning process
Ulf Bambach, CEO of formicon, explains that the built quality of modern living spaces is primarily determined by the interaction between building structures, open spaces, water, and vegetation. Through Kraft.Raum, formicon is expanding its own capabilities in sustainability consultancy, life-cycle assessments (LCA), and environmental product declarations to cover relevant outdoor ESG criteria.
Founder René Rheims also sees significant operational advantages in the merger. According to Rheims, the challenges posed by climate change demand that technical systems, open spaces, and ecological requirements are conceived from the outset alongside conventional architectural and engineering planning. Within the group, such approaches will in future be embedded from the earliest design stages.
