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."

"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."

The Deutsches Architekturmuseum in Frankfurt opened an interactive exhibition from October 25, 2025 to February 8, 2026 presenting around 80 construction kits produced between 1890 and 1990. Many systems are recreated at enlarged scale with eight central play stations where visitors can test assemblies. Additional digital features include VR model worlds programmed by Stuttgart HFT students. Dozens of completed models and an accompanying catalogue document the full collection. A public competition titled How Small Can Architecture Be? invites submissions of miniature architectural models. The display examines how toys mirrored architectural styles, instructional complexity, and gendered marketing across the twentieth century.

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