FAKT as a name represents the aim of finding a clear, defining answer to each project. We are interested in architecture as the possibility of making definite projects. As a growing team of architects, we share the strong will to build houses, objects and ideas. Our projects are approached with a consideration of system, reference, place and precedent.
FAKT was founded in 2013 and is run by Sebastian Kern, Martin Tessarz and Jonas Tratz. All founding partners studied together at certain times and collaborated in several offices before founding their own practice. The Berlin-based office is working on a broad range from small-scale furniture to construction projects as well as academic work. In 2019 FAKT and its founders received the prestigious one-year fellowship of the German Academy Rome “Villa Massimo”.
FAKT
Nicolaistraße 8
D – 12247 Berlin
tel +49 (0)30 560 400 20
mail
mail@fakt-office.com
social media
Instagram
jobs / internships
unsolicited internship or job inquiry emails can unfortunately not be answered, due to the frequent requests.
spontaneous applications (10MB max.) may be sent to
jobs@fakt-office.com
(c) 2025
FAKT – Office for Architecture
Kern Tessarz Tratz Architekten PartG mbB
CURRENT TEAM
Sebastian Kern, Martin Tessarz, Jonas Tratz, Stine Hahnel, Julian Brack, Muriel Werthebach, Pascal Henle
SEBASTIAN KERN, M.Sc. ETH Arch.
Sebastian Kern, born in Berlin 1988, is one of three managing partners of FAKT. He studied architecture at TU Berlin and at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). He was able to achieve working experience by interning and working on a freelance basis for several Berlin based offices. In 2012 he worked as a student assistant for the chair of Emanuel Christ and Christoph Gantenbein at ETH Zurich. In 2013 Sebastian Kern got his diploma thesis from a final project with Peter Märkli and was one of the co-founders of FAKT. He was recipient of the fellowship at the German Academy “Villa Massimo” in Rome (2019-2020). He is registered in the Architektenkammer Berlin and member of the Bund Deutscher Architektinnen und Architekten BDA.
MARTIN TESSARZ, M.Sc. ETH Arch.
Martin Tessarz, born in Erfurt in 1986, is one of three managing partners of FAKT. He studied architecture at TU Berlin and at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). After work experience in several Architecture offices in Berlin, Amsterdam and Los Angeles, including Staab Architekten, Johnston Marklee and Wiel Arets Architects, he worked as a researcher at the ETH FutureCitiesLab in Singapore. In 2013 he was one of the co-founders of FAKT. In parallel he was teaching as professor assistant at Uni Kassel, 2015-18 for the chair of Prof. Georg Augustin and at the Technical University of Berlin for the chair of Prof. Kampshoff (2018-2019). He is recipient of the fellowship at the German Academy “Villa Massimo” in Rome (2019-2020). He is registered in the Architektenkammer Berlin and member of the Bund Deutscher Architektinnen und Architekten BDA.
JONAS TRATZ, M.Sc. Arch.
Jonas Tratz, born 1988 in Berlin, is an architect, researcher, and university teacher, and one of the three managing partners of FAKT. Before founding the office in 2013, he studied Architecture at TU Berlin, at EAPLV Paris, and at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), and gained professional experience at the Chair of Typology (Prof. Finn Geipel) as well as in several architecture offices, including Mila/Jakob Tigges and LIN. He has held various teaching positions and visiting professorships. He was Guest Professor at the University of Trento (Chair of Excellence “Adalberto Libera”). In 2024–25 he served as Interim Professor at DIA Dessau / Hochschule Anhalt, where his academic focus lay on post-typological thinking and types of transformation. He has also taught or guest lectured at institutions including MSA Münster, NSoA Beersheva, University of Siegen, TU Berlin and Paris-Est. Jonas Tratz is a recipient of the Rome Prize / prestigious fellowship of the German Academy “Villa Massimo” in Rome (2019–2020). He is co-author of Berlin Maps (2021), an atlas exploring spatial and geographic structures of Berlin. He is registered in the Architektenkammer Berlin, where he is an active member of the “Ausschuss Wettbewerbe und Vergabe”, and is also a member of the BDA, Bund Deutscher Architektinnen und Architekten.
STINE HAHNEL, M.Sc. Arch.
Stine Hahnel graduated in architecture from RWTH Aachen and complemented her studies with an academic exchange at EPFL Lausanne. During her time at RWTH, she also worked at the Chairs of Housing and Urban Design. Prior to her academic studies, she came from a background in vocational training as a draftsperson (Bauzeichnerin). Her professional experience includes positions in Munich, in Rotterdam at Atelier Kempe Thill, and freelance collaborations with Baukreisel. Since 2023 she has been part of the team at FAKT. With a strong interest in engaging meaningfully with existing buildings, her focus lies on projects in the field of transformation and re-use.
JULIAN BRACK, MA Arch.
Julian Brack studied architecture at TU Berlin and completed his Master’s at the Royal College of Art in London, where he wrote his dissertation Financial Algorithms and the City, which examined the spatial consequences of financialization. His professional experience includes positions in Paris (Bruther), London (Forensic Architecture), and Berlin. In his former roles, he investigated social and spatial phenomena using film, 3D scanning, gaming engines, and data-driven tools. Within his architectural work, he explores open, socially engaged forms and inventive approaches across scales, all framed by a critical, research-driven practice.
FORMER TEAM
Oksana Chebina, Fabian Röntgen, Till Bäumer-Kern, Maša Mori, Alessia Begnamini, Fynn Münker, Francesco Lovato, Gala Santina Brescia, Frieda Lübke, Simon Ibald, Nick Fimpel, Michael Olufemi Akpele, Costanza Eboli, Leonard Kaupp, Luis Druschke, Hanna Kosharna, Dorothea Velde, Manon Coppens, Miguel Jiménez, Helene Peters, Nora Zoppi, Oliver Alunovic, Rodrigo del Castillo, Jolene Lee, Claudia Borroni, Polina Moskalenko, Max Linnenschmidt, Esteban Lamm, Johanna Grau, Cecilia Ambrois, Sebastian Weindauer, Francelle Cane, Adeline Chimento, Stella-Marie Krex, Giulia Albarello, Mara Nuyens, Fabian Pfitzinger, Loukia Lhomme
Sebastian Ernst, as one of the four co-founders of FAKT, was fully involved in all works of the office from 2013 to 2019.
TEACHING / WORKSHOPS
Interim Professor
Hochschule Anhalt, DIA Dessau Unit Master
FAKT (J. Tratz)
2024
Teaching Assignment – Design Studio
MSA, Münster School of Architecture
FAKT (M. Tessarz, J. Tratz)
2023 / 2024
Siegen Summer School
‚Reset Reshape Reuse‘
August 2023
Teaching Assignment – Design Studio
MSA, Münster School of Architecture
FAKT (M. Tessarz, J. Tratz)
2022 / 2023
Teaching Assignment – Lecture Series
TU Berlin
FAKT (M. Tessarz, J. Tratz)
2021 / 2022
Teaching Assignment – Design Studio
FH Erfurt
FAKT (M. Tessarz, J. Tratz)
2021
Teaching Assignment
Hochschule Anhalt, DIA Dessau Unit Master
Master Studio „FAKT“ (S. Ernst, J. Tratz)
2016 – 2019
Guest Professorship
University of Trento, IT
Chair of Honor „Adalberto Libera“
2018
Assistant TU Berlin
Prof. Jan Kampshoff
(M. Tessarz)
2018 – 2019
Assistant Uni Kassel
Prof. Georg Augustin
(M. Tessarz)
2015 – 2018
Workshop Acropoli Trento
July 2018
Workshop NO IMAGE Berlin
October 2017
Workshop Aedes Berlin
April 2017
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GUEST CRITS
TU Dortmund
(Prof. Piet Eckert + Prof. Wim Eckert)
LUH
(Prof. Marieke Kums)
UDK Berlin
(Prof. Sobejano)
KIT Karlsruhe
(Raum und Entwerfen, Prof. Marc Frohn )
HTWK Leipzig
(Prof. Alexander Tochtermann)
TU München
(Studio Kim Nalleweg)
Leibniz Universität Hannover
(Studio Kempe Thill)
RWTH Aachen
(Prof. Uwe Schröder)
TU Braunschweig
(Prof. Helga Blocksdorf)
TU Dresden
(Guest Prof. Job Floris)
TU Berlin
(EM2N)
(Prof. Jörg Stollmann)
TU Graz
(Prof. Hans Gangoly)
Uni Kassel
(Prof. Georg Augustin)
HTWK Leipzig
(Prof. Alexander Tochtermann)
DIA Dessau
(div.)
Beuth Hochschule Berlin
(div.)
Uni Trento, IT
(div.)
FH Erfurt
(div.)
FH München
(Prof. Sandra Bartoli)
Cal Poly Pomona, LA
(Assistant Prof. Katrin Terstegen)
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LECTURES / TALKS
Hochschule Luzern, 07.11.2025
Arch+ 261, Release Vortrag, 10.10.2025
Holzbaukongress Köln, 08.10.2025
UDK Berlin, 24.06.2025
TU Dresden, 15.01.2025
Bauweltkongress, 28.11.2024
Siegen Summer School, 21.08.2024
TU München, Montagsreihe, 11.12.2023
Uni Siegen, 14.08.2023
„Reset, Reshape, Reuse“
HWTK Leipzig, 20.02.2023
„Missing Links“
TU Graz, 15.11.2022
„conditions for (unknown) futures“
BTU Cottbus, 28.06.2022
„conditions for (unknown) futures“
Uni Weimar, 12.04.2022
Common Discourse: A Laboratory for Spatial Transformation, 01.09.2023
Metropolengespräch „Flughafenregion Berlin-Brandenburg“, 07.04.2022
„Urban Arcadia 2070“
lecture series TU Berlin, 12.2021 – 02.2022
„conditions for (unknown) futures“
TU Berlin, 03.12.2021
„Vom Anfangen“
Architektour, workshop Poland, 24.11.2021
„conditions for (unknown) futures“
New Generations Festival, Rome, 30.06.2021
„Berlin Maps“
FH Erfurt, 21.06.21
„current affairs“
Berlin International, 26.05.2021
lecture
Metropolengespräche BB2070, 30.01.2021
Berlin / online
IUBH Hamburg, 11.12.2020
Website-based lecture
Uni Weimar, 12.10.2020
„missing links“
MAOP Toulouse, 07.11.2019
„Siblings in the periphery“
FH Aachen, 15.05.2019
„Blockbuster“
TU Berlin, 22.11.2018
„Roundabout“
Skopje, 14.09.2018
„Works and Worries“
Housing the human, 19.07.2018
„Reverse Fordism“
Berlin makecity Festival, 20.06.2018
„MakeCity“
Uni Hannover, 06.06.2018
„Zusammenspiel“
TH Nürnberg, 18.04.2018
„Form & Structure“
Trento, Lectio Magistralis, 22.03.2018
„Works and Worries“
Technical University Bratislava, 07.12.2017
„Architecture when you are young“
Trienal de Lisboa, Lisbon, 26.10.2017
„Critical Distance“
No-Image, Berlin, 30.09.2017
„Thinking in Architecture“
Belgrade, 12.05.2017
„Outskirts / Envisioning Future“
Ljubljana, 17.02.2017
„Future Architecture Platform“
DIA Dessau, 27.01.2016
„Process“[/dropdown_box]
PUBLICATIONS
„Berlin Maps“
Book, 96 pages softcover
Published by Ruby Press, 2021
ISBN 9783944074368
“Villa Massimo 19/20 – FAKT”
Einzelpublikation Rompreisträger
Published by Deutsche Akademie Rom, 2021
ISBN 978-88-946353-3-1
——
Arch+ 261, Stadtumbau – Schulen der Transformation
Cover + „Neue Architekturschule Siegen“
Seiten 122-127, 2025
ISBN 978-3-931435-90-5
Bauwelt 17.2025
1. preis Wettbewerb Hamburg Rothenburgsort
Seite 13
Wettbewerb Aktuell 06/25
Stadteilzentrum Rothenburgsort, Hamburg
Cover + Seite 48/49
ISSN – 0177 -9788
Wettbewerb Aktuell 07/2024
„Neue Architekturschule Siegen“
Seite 21-27
Stadt Bauwelt 243, 20.2024
„Studis, Profs und junge Büros: Summer School macht Schule“
Seite 42 – 45
Arch+ 242, BERLIN PRAXIS
„Urban Arcadia, Toolbox for the periphery“
„House for 1 – 4 families“
„Berlin Maps“
pages 38-61, 2021
ISBN 978-3-931435-63-9
Hochparterre.Wettbewerbe 4/2021
Wettbewerb Campus Wattwil
Pages 88-89, 2021
Cube Berlin 02/21
„Transparente Wohnlandschaft”
print and online article, link and link
pages 06-07, 2021
BB2070 – magazine for city planning and urbanism, Nr.4
„Unseen Berlin”, pages 16-19, 2020
ISBN 978-3-8030-2209-7
Plan Libre No. 171, FR
„Siblings in the periphery“ 4 pages, 2019
N°ISSN 1638 4776
„What‘s in the making”
contribution, 136 pages softcover
Published by Otherwhere, 2018
Arch+ 225 Legislating Architecture
„Berliner Remise – Wachstum nach innen“
Pages 150-155, with Georg Augustin, 2016
ISBN 978-3-931435-36-3
Grundrissfibel Schulbauten
Edition Hochparterre
Pages 166-167, 2015
ISBN 978-3-909928-31-6
Hochparterre.Wettbewerbe 4/2012
Wettbewerb Primarschulhaus Riethüsli
Pages 14-15, 2012
ONLINE
Arch+
„Von Prothesen und der Koexistenz von Architektur und Natur.“
07.10.2021
link
Baunetzwoche #580
„Berlin Maps – Ein Atlas untersucht die Komplexität der Stadt“
pages 19-21, 03.06.2021
link
ESPAZIUM
„Einschränkungen inspirieren uns“
20.10.2020
link
KNTXTR
„A good house is a good member of society.“
09.2019
link
Baumeister
„Na Toll, und jetzt? FAKT“
29.04.2019
link
Archdaily
„FAKT Creates a Floating Metal “Cloudscape” in Montpellier“
16.07.2015
link
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EXHIBITIONS
BDA Galerie Berlin
„Berlin Atlas 3“
Berlin, Group Exhibition, 12.2022 – 01.2023
Schloss Neuhardenberg
1:1 model, 5×5 m, Villa Almone Deck
Neuhardenberg, Installation 09.2021 – 11.2022
Diskursiv – Verein zur Architekturforschung
„Models“
Forum Stadtpark Graz, Group Exhibition, 2021
Deutsche Akademie Rom Villa Massimo
„Villa Massimo si avvicina“
Rome, Group Exhibition, 2020
BDA Galerie Berlin
„Ich bin Raum“
Berlin, Installation, 2019
Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW)
Forecast III, Autumn Edition
Berlin, Installation, 2018
Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW)
Forecast III
Berlin, Installation, 2018
Architekturmuseum TU Berlin
„Artefakte des Entwerfens“
Berlin, Group Exhibition, February 2018
Seoul Biennale
„Common Cities“
Group Exhibition, 2017
MAXXI
„The Theaters of Culture“
Group Exhibition, Rome, June 2017
Hongkong/Shenzen Biennale
“Pedagocigal Infrastructures”
HK/China, 2015
Ondulating Table
(Seven Projects)
Berlin, 2015
Office Opening FAKT
(„Plan Meets Image“)
Berlin, 2013[/dropdown_box]
PRIZES / AWARDS
1st prize Realization competition
Neue Architekturschule Siegen, 2024
together with Gustav Düsing
2nd prize Realization competition
Lindenviertel Lübbenau, 2023
Honourable Mention
competition Kindergarten and neighborhood center, Lübben
2nd prize Realization competition
sports hall Kemmler-Oberschule Plauen, 2022
2nd prize urban competition
administrative building Beelitz-Heilstätten, 2022
DAM Preis 2022 longlist
for #057 house for 1 to 4 families, 2021
6th Prize
Campus Wattwil St. Gallen, open competition, 2021
Fellowship
German Academy Rome Villa Massimo, 2019-2020
finalist (shortlist)
Berlin Brandenburg 2070, open competition, 2020
Honourable Mention
IBA Thüringen 2018, XS Ferienhäuser, open competition, 2018
1st Prize + realization
Forecast Exhibition @ HKW, Closed Competition , 2018
one 1st Prize
Trinational IBA Parkstad, DE NL BE, open competition, 2016
Honorable Mention
IBA Heidelberg, Energy Tower, not-open competition, 2016
one 2nd Prize
Police Posts Berlin / Postenhäuser, not-open competition, 2016
2nd Phase
Bauhaus Museum Dessau, open competition, 2015
materialPREIS 2015
for #034 Montpellier Cloud in the category metal, 2015
4th Prize
Helios School Cologne, not-open competition, 2015
Honorable Mention
Schöpflin Areal, Lörrach, not-open competition, 2014
3rd Prize and realization
Pavilions for IGA Berlin 2017, not-open competition, 2014
5th Prize
Primary School Riethüsli, St. Gallen, open competition, 2012[/dropdown_box]
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