Zollverein School of Management and Design in Essen (Germany) is a project of the Japanese architect office SANAA, which is created by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa since 1995. 29 March 2010 Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa received the most prestigious award in architecture - the international Pritzker Prize.
Designed in the form of a cube, the building of Zollverein School of Management and Design is the first work by SANAA in Europe. This is a new part of an upgraded areas of the former Zollverein coal mine. The program aims to revitalize the former Zollverein coal mine to create a modern center of culture and design. The whole complex was added to UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001. In 2010 the Zollverein will be the main center for the European Capital of Culture in Essen.
Thomas Mayer (Switzerland), specializes in photographing architecture. He works with top architects, including Frank Gehry, and the publishers, publishers and advertising agencies worldwide.
Thomas Mayer studied photography in Zurich. Since 1974, he began working with the most popular German magazines like GEO, Stern, ZEIT-Magazin, or Der Spiegel. His documentation of the revitalization process and the construction of the Zollverein School of Management and Design covers the period from the announcement of the contest until the completion of work.