The exhibition SANAA: School of Management and Design in Zollverein

Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have been working together at the studio SANAA since 1995. Kazuyo Sejima studied architecture at the Japan Women's University and was named Young Architect of the Year in 1992. Ryue Nishizawa studied architecture at the National University of Yokohama.

The first building that SANAA constructed in Europe was the School of Management and Design in Zollverein, in Essen. The building was completed in the summer of 2006. In a broader context, the School of Management and Design is part of a program to revitalize the former Zollverein mining complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2002. The revitalization program focuses on culture, primarily design.

Outstanding architects were invited to collaborate: the urban plan for Zollverein and the Regional Museum of North Rhine-Westphalia were developed by Rem Koolhaas and Floris Alkemade, and the Design Center was designed by Sir Norman Foster.

The exhibition presents the former Zollverein mining complex and the School of Management and Design by SANAA through the photographs of Thomas Mayer.
The exhibition also includes a film based on testimonies from people who have been or still are in daily contact with the School in Zollverein.