Light and clear

The documentary film ‘Sep Ruf – Architect of Modernity’ is a visual journey through the work of one of the most important German architects of the 20th century.

7/1/2025

Sep Ruf (1908–1982) was particularly keen to combine architecture and nature in open, transparent buildings and to enable new forms of living and working. In doing so, he had a decisive influence on the perception of Germany in post-war architecture. The film shows his most famous buildings, such as the German Pavilion at the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels (with Egon Eiermann), the iconic Chancellor's Bungalow in Bonn, the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg and the Neue Maxburg in Munich. Many of these works are now listed buildings. Interviews with contemporary witnesses, architecture experts and companions, together with architectural images, pay homage to his work.

Director Johann Betz is responsible for both the screenplay and production. Filming took place in Germany and Italy in 2024. The film was produced by Drei Wünsche GmbH in co-production with Bayrischer Rundfunk, German Kral Filmproduktion GmbH and Nominal Film. The project was funded by FFF Bayern, FFA and DFFF.

Film debut: 10 July 2025

Sep Ruf – Architect of Modernism, Official Trailer

Video: Alpenrepublik GER

Spotlight on Women Architects – Anna Heringer

12/27/2022

In our series “Spotlight on Women Architects”, we regularly present the work of female architects – such as that of Anna Heringer, who is a true believer in clay building. She was recently awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for her commitment.

ARCHITECTURE

Stepping into history

8/25/2017

On Römerberg, in the middle of Frankfurt’s Old City, Meixner Schlüter Wendt have created an archetypical building of glass that appears to be suspended in space.

ARCHITECTURE

Tear down the old to welcome the new?

2/9/2010

Investors and developers usually have their problems with our aesthetic heritage, especially as the cycles of rejection and appreciation in architecture are unlike those in fashion or design. All the same, the discussion on 1960s architecture is currently growing, becoming more vocal and more differentiated.

ARCHITECTURE

Live like a German Chancellor

12/29/2008

Sep Ruf's international breakthrough came with the German Pavilion at the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels, co-designed jointly by the architect and Egon Eiermann. For a long time, Ruf's fame was confined to the professional world. Now, a major publication of his work has been published to celebrate the centenary of his birth.

Light and clear

Spotlight on Women Architects – Anna Heringer

Stepping into history

Tear down the old to welcome the new?

Live like a German Chancellor

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