house of democracy, public square revitalization / frankfurt am main, germany / competition 2025 / collaboration with Octagon Architekturkollektiv & studiofutura


We gathered in the square, stood on the ground, and lifted our voices toward the sky. This is how democracy came into being. The ground has always been the foundation and the place of democracy — a place where we coexist and speak together.

This proposal raises a fundamental question: Can democracy truly be represented by a single symbolic form? Or should it instead be revealed in the spaces where memory and place intersect — within the ensemble of what already exists? If the skyline of Frankfurt am Main symbolizes vertical authority and economic power, this project focuses on the horizontality and openness of the ground. Without erasing the presence of surrounding monumental buildings, historic structures, or green spaces, the design carefully reads these existing elements and introduces a new architectural structure in the form of a foundation and a roof — a gesture of restraint and respect for its context. What emerges is not a monument that claims authority, but a shared space of encounter — a democratic terrain where voices meet, leave traces, and allow collective memory to take shape.