At its regular meeting, the Berlin regional association of the Association of German Architects (BDA) has elected a new executive board. For the first time, a dual leadership will head the BDA Berlin: Laura Fogarasi-Ludloff (Ludloff Ludloff Architekten), who has served on the board since 2019, and Hans-Joachim Paap (gmp Architekten, board member since 2015), the previous deputy chair, were elected as co-chairs with equal standing. Outgoing chair Julia Dahlhaus, who has served since 2019, stepped down after nine years and did not seek re-election.

The eight-member board also saw other changes: Anne Lampen and Bernd Tibes, both board members since 2015, did not run for re-election. Three architects were newly elected as board members: Roger Bollinger (Bollinger + Fehlig Architekten), Marika Schmidt (mrschmidt Architekten), and Pia Maier Schriever (Rustler Schriever Architekten). The assembly also re-elected Jens Brinkmann (United Architektur) and Torsten Krüger (KSV Krüger Schuberth Vandreike) – both board members since 2019 – as well as Susanne Scharabi (Scharabi Architekten, board member since 2022) for additional terms.

Elected by overwhelming majority, the board thanked members for their confidence. Laura Fogarasi-Ludloff and Hajo Paap, together with their colleagues, are committed to advancing solutions for pressing professional and construction policy challenges while strengthening Berlin's architectural culture. Their priorities include ensuring fair procedures and improved conditions for the profession, supporting emerging architects, and championing Berlin's transformation into a liveable and sustainable city.

Laura Fogarasi-Ludloff
Co-Chair of BDA Berlin, Laura Fogarasi-Ludloff was born in Zurich in 1967 and is founding partner of Ludloff Ludloff Architekten, a German-Austrian practice. The firm has designed internationally award-winning buildings for education, training, sports, and housing. Her most celebrated works include the multi-award-winning Embassy for Children in Berlin for SOS Kinderdorf and the research and development center for office furniture manufacturer Sedus Stoll AG in Dogern. Fogarasi-Ludloff served as visiting professor in Erfurt in 2014, joined the BDA in 2017, and was elected to the executive board in 2019. Her key focus areas include sustainability and socially responsible construction within planetary boundaries, community-focused design, and adaptive reuse – particularly of post-war modernist structures. Beyond her board duties, she leads the working groups on sustainability and urban development/housing, sits on the BDA's Women in Architecture advisory council, and oversees the BDA Berlin's architecture awards alongside Hans-Joachim Paap.

Hans-Joachim Paap
Co-Chair Hans-Joachim Paap (Dipl.-Ing.), born in Braunschweig in 1960, joined gmp von Gerkan, Marg and Partners' Berlin office in 1997 and became a partner in 2021. He has directed numerous landmark projects, including the Porsche Customer Centre in Leipzig, Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt am Main, and Berlin Brandenburg International Airport. Appointed to BDA Berlin in 2013, Paap's priorities span contemporary urban development issues, advancing the next generation of architects (including his role as chairman of the Hans Schaefers Foundation since 2016), and administering the BDA Berlin awards.

Roger Bollinger
Dipl. Arch. ETH Roger Bollinger, born in Basel in 1966, has directed Bollinger + Fehlig Architekten BDA with partner Jens Fehlig since 2000. The practice specializes in residential and workplace environments, with completed projects across Germany. Both Bollinger and Fehlig were appointed to BDA Berlin in 2014. At the association, Bollinger actively contributes to the working group on urban development and housing construction.

Jens Brinkmann
Dr. Dipl.-Ing. Jens Brinkmann, born in Hanover in 1973, founded UNITED Architektur in 2004 – an interdisciplinary Berlin-based practice with partners in São Paulo. He taught as assistant professor at BTU Cottbus from 2005 to 2013 and earned his doctorate from Humboldt University Berlin in 2019 with research on Brazilian architecture from cultural and media theory perspectives. Appointed to the BDA in 2017, Brinkmann serves on the BDA Gallery board of trustees and leads the working group supporting emerging practices.

Torsten Krüger
Dipl. Ing. Torsten Krüger, born in Berlin in 1963, founded the interdisciplinary firm KSV Krüger Schuberth Vandreike in 1990. The practice's work in urban planning, architecture, corporate design, and wayfinding has earned numerous international awards. He has directed landmark office projects including Wilhelmgalerie in Potsdam, the Federal Chancellery in Berlin, and MBS Headquarters; overseen major residential developments in Kirchsteigfeld, Havelresidenz, Karow Nord, and Neulichterfelde in Berlin; and designed community, scientific, and cultural buildings. Internationally, Krüger has developed sustainable modular systems for corporate design and executed over 700 brand experiences, trade shows, and events for BMW and its divisions. On the board, he oversees innovation, sponsorship, and communications.

Susanne Scharabi
Dipl.-Ing. Susanne Scharabi, born in Werneck in 1969, has been co-managing director of Scharabi Architekten since 2000. The firm is recognized for multi-story timber construction, primarily for collaborative housing projects – work that has garnered multiple awards. At BDA Berlin, Scharabi leads working groups on sustainability and timber construction and professional policy, serves on the Women in Architecture advisory council, and sits on the Berlin Chamber of Architects' competitions and awards committee.

Marika Schmidt
Dipl. Ing. Marika Schmidt, born in Rostock in 1976, founded mrschmidt Architekten in 2010 to explore spatial design with an emphasis on resource-efficient building, user comfort, and spatial optimization – with particular focus on school construction. Her Protestant Primary School in Dettmannsdorf won the BDA PREIS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the BDA NIKE for Social Commitment in 2019. Schmidt is an active author, guest critic, and educator, currently serving as interim professor for structural design at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam (since 2007). She is a member of the EUROPAN committee, advocates for holistic environmental literacy in STEM education, contributes to BDA Berlin's professional policy initiatives, and serves on the Women in Architecture festival advisory board.

Pia Maier Schriever
Dipl.-Ing. Pia Maier Schriever, born in Stuttgart in 1972, leads Rustler Schriever Architekten in Berlin, specializing in conservation-sensitive work with listed buildings and the thoughtful transformation of historic structures and urban districts for the 21st century. A fellow of the German Academy Villa Massimo in Rome and ICOMOS member, she has advised the European Commission since 2021 as part of the High-Level Roundtable "New European Bauhaus". Appointed to the BDA in 2019, Schriever advocates on the board for a culture of adaptive reuse and contemporary stewardship of our architectural heritage.

About the BDA Berlin
The Association of German Architects (BDA), with approximately 5,000 members nationwide, is Germany's leading organization of independent practitioners. It unites architects and urban planners distinguished by the quality of their work and their commitment to professional integrity and collegiality. Membership is by appointment through regional associations.
BDA members represent Germany's most respected independent architects. The track record speaks for itself: one in three euros invested in building construction involves planning by a BDA architect. Founded in 1915, the Berlin regional association now counts around 430 members. Bound by statute to promote quality in planning and construction in service of society and the environment, BDA Berlin positions itself as a forum for critical dialogue and public discourse. Through diverse initiatives – architecture awards, exhibitions, networking events, professional lectures, and construction policy advocacy – the association champions buildings created with social responsibility and in concert with the other arts.

The BDA Berlin Executive Board is elected by the General Assembly every two years, with members eligible for re-election. The 2024 board election took place on November 26, 2024, at DOCK 11, a cultural venue in Berlin.