Sonnenhof by J.Mayer H. Architects

For me most of the time the good concepts and results seem to be more about integration than any other thing. Specially when you are trying to be bold and risky and go further into something new or unseen.

These buildings broke with the existing surroundings but at the same time they do integrate the already consolidated city... Something that already was working properly and it isn't in any need to be changed. 

I often see projects that are a barrier to the existing site, I understand that many times you just want to give a knew dimension and change the playing rules of an area. But people tend to forget that architecture is not about messing everything up if there is not a need for it. And many architectural icons attract people but don't consolidate what is around them which is a pity (I have been having many discussions about icons and the cities, and how a bunch of icons by themselves don't create cities unless you are talking about Las Vegas and very few other examples).

"the four-building complex leaves a large part of the space open for public use during the day, permitting a free flow of pedestrian traffic across the area. the buildings, situated on the edges of the lot, frame a small, urban courtyard typical to medieval city structures. passages between the individual
buildings connect them to the surrounding public-use areas, making it an important junction
in the urban network. the mixed-use concept supports a small scale, seamless integration into the existing urban fabric"

J.Mayer H. Architects