How has COVID-19 impacted you and your practice?

Sebastian Kittelberger: COVID-19 and its immediate consequences have had only a limited effect on our office operations. We're fortunate to have experienced no health, psychological, or existential challenges thus far.

How has COVID-19 changed your approach to architecture?

With offices in Stuttgart and Munich, we were already accustomed to working and communicating across distances. Our core working methods have remained largely unchanged. However, communication—internally, with specialist consultants, and with clients—has shifted dramatically. All planning, client, and stakeholder discussions now happen exclusively over the phone. Remote work and video communication are now woven into our daily routine. In practical terms, this means investing considerable time in preparing meetings and presentations to effectively guide participants through conversations in a digital environment.

What measures has your office implemented?

Several staff members are now working from home, communicating via phone and chat. We've also made work schedules more flexible to accommodate employees' personal and family needs during this time. On the technical side, we've invested in infrastructure to enable remote work for a large portion of our team. In the office, we maintain social distancing and disinfect surfaces multiple times daily.

What changes are worth keeping?

We'll continue embracing flexible work across multiple locations—it gives us more time focused on design and less time commuting.

What do you expect over the next three months?

I anticipate ongoing restrictions for the next three months, though we'll gradually see movement toward normalcy. That said, this crisis will leave lasting and profound changes across many sectors. The construction industry, which typically moves counteryclically, is already feeling the effects. Project delays are likely just the beginning of what's to come.

Sebastian Kittelberger

Sebastian Kittelberger was born in Reutlingen in 1986. He studied at the University of Karlsruhe and University of Stuttgart, where he worked as a student assistant at dasch zürn architekten. He completed his architectural internships at dasch zürn architekten, Architekturbüro Hascher Jehle, and Studio jmsg Madrid. At dasch zürn architekten, he eventually led the competition division before becoming an official equal partner in 2017, when the firm was renamed dasch zürn + partner. He now heads the Munich office. With approximately 40 staff across both Stuttgart and Munich, the firm creates high-quality architecture for demanding public clients throughout Germany—specializing in schools, fire stations, event venues, sports facilities, churches, and other civic projects.