Architectural designs showcase new hotel concepts for Darmstadt – exhibition runs until November 15th
How can existing buildings in Darmstadt be converted into hotels without requiring complete new construction? Architecture students at the Technical University of Darmstadt explored this question in the 2026 Georg Moller Prize competition. Under the title "Sleeping Houses – Hotels for Darmstadt," they developed innovative concepts for utilizing existing buildings and structures within the city. The five winners have now been selected.
Veith Borsutzky, Victoria Duram, Simon Marx, Yamina Nassim, and Olivia Presslie were awarded prizes for their designs. The architecture prize, endowed with a total of €2,500, was awarded equally to all five students. Each student received €500 in prize money.
The award-winning works can be seen at Darmstadt Castle until November 15th.
New ideas for existing buildings
The Georg Moller Prize is jointly awarded by the City of Darmstadt, the bauverein AG (building association), and the Technical University of Darmstadt. This year, the focus was on how existing buildings and previously untapped spatial potential can be developed for new hotel concepts.
More than 30 projects were created during the summer semester of 2026 at the Department of Architecture at TU Darmstadt. The students were supervised by Professor Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge in the field of design and spatial planning.
The task went beyond a classic repurposing of existing buildings. The students were to fundamentally explore the functions a hotel can fulfill in a city and how new forms of accommodation can be integrated into urban life.
The starting point for each design was a hotel-specific building. From this, the students first developed individual concepts for hotel rooms, which were then applied to entire buildings.
The mayor sees potential for urban development
Mayor Hanno Benz praised the excellent work as an important contribution to the discussion about the future development of Darmstadt.
“This intensive engagement with Darmstadt’s urban space has paid off. The award-winning designs clearly demonstrate that it is not always necessary to build anew; we can also set important impulses in urban development with existing building structures,” explains Benz.
The competition demonstrates the contribution that the scientific community can make to the city's development. At the same time, the mayor thanked all participating students for their ideas.
Hotels as open spaces for city life
A key idea behind the designs is the notion that hotels can be more than just places to sleep in the future.
City councilor and jury member Michael Kolmer sees this as a particular value of the competition.
“The creative approach to the question of how a hotel can become an open and social place for urban life breaks with traditional thought patterns in building development,” explains Kolmer.
In an increasingly densely built-up urban area, hotels could take on additional functions and connect more strongly with their surroundings.
The jury particularly commended the students' intensive engagement with Darmstadt and the different approaches they used to make existing spatial potentials visible.
Jury praises diversity and craftsmanship in design
A total of twelve student projects were evaluated by the independent jury. These had previously been selected from more than 30 submitted designs by the Department of Design and Spatial Planning at TU Darmstadt.
The jury particularly appreciated the diversity of the concepts, which resulted from the individual starting points and the self-chosen locations.
The development from a single hotel room to a complete building was also highlighted as a compelling design approach.
Large-format, analogously produced architectural models and their photographic examination also received special recognition.
The jury emphasized the importance of this working method, especially in light of the increasing prevalence of 3D printing and AI-generated images in architectural visualization.
The Georg Moller Prize has been awarded since 1989
The Georg Moller Prize was first awarded in 1989. It is intended to encourage architecture students to engage with concrete building and planning tasks in Darmstadt.
At the same time, the competition promotes professional exchange between the city, the housing industry and science.
The jury included, in addition to city councilor Michael Kolmer, Felix Leonhardt from bauverein AG and representatives of the architecture department of TU Darmstadt: Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge, Martin Roth, Steven Schenk, Leonard Schmidt and Willi Wagner.
The award-winning designs illustrate the possibilities offered by the further development of existing buildings and how new uses can contribute to the transformation of urban space.
Exhibition at Darmstadt Castle
The entries for the 2026 Georg Moller Prize are being presented at Darmstadt Palace. Those interested can view the students' ideas there until November 15th.
The exhibition offers an opportunity to explore the different approaches to repurposing existing buildings and new forms of hotel architecture.
The most important information
Award: Georg Moller Prize 2026
Topic: “Sleeping Houses – Hotels for Darmstadt”
Award winners: Veith Borsutzky, Victoria Duram, Simon Marx, Yamina Nassim and Olivia Presslie
Prize money: A total of 2,500 euros, 500 euros each for the five works awarded equal priority.
Exhibition: On display until Sunday, November 15, 2026
Exhibition venue: Darmstadt Palace
Organizers: City of Darmstadt, bauverein AG and Technical University of Darmstadt
Participants: More than 30 student projects, twelve of which were judged by the jury.
Academic supervision: Professor Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge, TU Darmstadt
Background: The Georg Moller Prize has been awarded since 1989.
(DARMSTADT – RED/PSD/jdi)
