“Architectural Construction Kits 1890-1990. Plenty to Play With!” exhibition at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM). October 25, 2025 to February 8, 2026. Image © Moritz Bernoully
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https://www.archdaily.com/1036192/dam-launches-interactive-exhibition-of-100-years-of-architectural-construction-kits-in-frankfurt-germany
The Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) in Frankfurt, Germany, has opened a new interactive exhibition, on view from October 25, 2025, to February 8, 2026, presenting 100 years of architectural construction kits. Developed in collaboration with graphic designer Claus Krieger, Professors Andreas Kretzer and Philipp Reinfeld from the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences (HFT), their students, and the wider DAM team, the exhibition brings together around 80 construction kits produced between 1890 and 1990. Many of these systems have been recreated at an enlarged scale so visitors can test their assemblies at eight central play stations. Additional digital features include VR model worlds programmed by HFT students. Dozens of completed models illustrate the range of architectural ideas represented across the kits, and the full collection is documented in an accompanying catalogue. The exhibition is accompanied by a public competition titled How Small Can Architecture Be?, which invites participants to submit miniature architectural models for display.
“Architectural Construction Kits 1890-1990. Plenty to Play With!” exhibition at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM). October 25, 2025 to February 8, 2026. Image © Moritz BernoullyBeyond its nostalgic appeal, the exhibition raises questions about how toys have historically reflected architectural culture. Many early kits echoed the dominant styles of their own era, from the richly ornamented forms of the Wilhelminian period in the Anker stones to the futuristic, expressionistic massing implicitly referenced in the Ingenius kit of 1924, which anticipated the cinematic urban landscapes of Metropolis (1927). The curators also reflect on how these toys framed architectural play: instructions were often highly complex, demanding patience and perseverance, and rarely encouraged the free experimentation originally advocated by Friedrich Fröbel. Despite being marketed to children, many kits seemed geared toward serious, almost adult-like concentration, often casting boys as “little builders” while placing girls at the margins. To balance this, DAM has introduced uniform, IKEA-style instructions for all play stations, providing accessible guidance for contemporary audiences.
“Architectural Construction Kits 1890-1990. Plenty to Play With!” exhibition at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM). October 25, 2025 to February 8, 2026. Image © Moritz Bernoully
“Architectural Construction Kits 1890-1990. Plenty to Play With!” exhibition at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM). October 25, 2025 to February 8, 2026. Image © Moritz Bernoully
Among the special construction kits on display, the Architecto-Baukasten (Keller & Sohn, 1944) stands out for its monumental 3.2-meter felt cathedral, scaled up and assembled using over 4,000 components thanks to the support of insulation manufacturer Impact Acoustic. Another highlight is the American Skyline kit (Elgo Plastics Inc., 1950s–60s), which introduces a skeleton construction system unlike the solid-block logic typical of other sets, enabling surprisingly rapid assembly of early 20th-century U.S. skyscrapers. Also featured is the GDR-era Mentor kit Wir bauen auf!, a rare example tied to the short-lived phase of Socialist Classicism before state policy shifted toward industrialized prefabrication in 1954.
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The exhibition also presents the Plaspi “Little Large Block Builder” (c. 1980), whose plastic components were designed for GDR prefabricated building types; the Bâtiss-Baukasten (1930s–40s), notable for its unusual metal-rod connections; and the historically significant Anker-Steinbaukästen, developed from Fröbel’s educational principles and still produced today. Visitors can also explore the 1920s Ingenius system, originally promoted as a tool for both children and film-set designers, and the Projektor kit, which emulated Ingenius while circumventing its patent through a dual tongue-and-groove connector.
“Architectural Construction Kits 1890-1990. Plenty to Play With!” exhibition at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM). October 25, 2025 to February 8, 2026. Ingenius box. Image © Sammlung Claus Krieger
“Architectural Construction Kits 1890-1990. Plenty to Play With!” exhibition at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM). October 25, 2025 to February 8, 2026. Les Bois de Megeve components. Image © Sammlung Claus Krieger
As part of the exhibition program, DAM’s How Small Can Architecture Be? competition invites entries ranging from miniature city replicas to entirely original fantasy structures. Participants may use LEGO® or other compatible bricks, following rules that include a maximum footprint of 16 × 16 studs, a maximum height of 30 cm, and no glued elements. Entrants must first email a photo for preselection; chosen models will then be shipped to DAM between October 24 and December 31, 2025, and displayed through February 8, 2026. All selected works will also appear on the museum’s social media channels, and participants will vote to determine the top three designs, each of which will be awarded a T-shirt featuring its respective winning model.
“Architectural Construction Kits 1890-1990. Plenty to Play With!” exhibition at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM). October 25, 2025 to February 8, 2026. Image © Moritz BernoullyOther recent exhibition and museum announcements include the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum, a new addition to Qatar’s cultural landscape dedicated to the life and work of artist Maqbool Fida Husain; Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave, an exhibition by AMO/OMA, conceived under the direction of Rem Koolhaas and Samir Bantal with Yotam Ben Hur, exploring how rural territories adapt to global transformation, also in Qatar; and the inaugural exhibition of Ghana’s Limbo Museum, which operates from a formerly abandoned Brutalist estate that currently retains the appearance of an unfinished building. Meanwhile, the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale is entering its final week, concluding one of the largest editions in terms of scale and participation in the event’s history.