M. Arch. JENNIFER L. HARMON

Site
Perched on a bluff near Eisenach in Thuringia, the Weidmüller Logistic Center faces the historic Wartburg Castle across the Mariental Valley and overlooks the Thuringian Forest. Once a Soviet artillery range, the area has largely returned to its natural state.

Despite being Weidmüller’s largest construction to date, the steep 20-meter topography posed challenges for a logistics facility, which typically prefers flat ground. The site's adjacency to a regional airport also imposed strict building height limits, affecting the design of the automated high-bay warehouses.

Program
To support in-house distribution, Weidmüller prioritized building a central facility in Europe with market-optimized access. The center includes 14 loading docks and two automated warehouses—one for Euro pallets and one for robotic shuttles—embedded into the terrain to stay within the height restrictions (20 and 25 meters tall).

Between them, a dual-level system of conveyors and commissioning lines efficiently handles order sorting and assembly, doubling capacity within a compact footprint. Adjacent to this, a wide-bay warehouse houses technical systems at ground level, occupying space that would otherwise require excavation, and supports a main building entrance.

A single, secure entry point for all employees connects to locker rooms, offices, cafeteria, conference rooms, and a skywalk through a vertical circulation core—creating a unified and safe experience. Truck drivers access their own secure corridor to amenities including showers, snacks, and the logistics office.

Façade
The north-facing façade varies in thickness, expanding to two meters at the northeast loading dock corner, where it functions as a viewing skywalk, weather protection for trucks, and a daylight source for operations. The envelope widens further to house the cafeteria and vertical circulation before reaching a full 15-meter depth that steps down with the terrain to incorporate terraces, offices, and support spaces.

Transparent and translucent zones are strategically placed based on use and performance needs. Modular channel glass with translucent insulation balances daylight and solar shading, while ribbon windows and operable panels offer fresh air and clear views—especially at the northwest corner, where a panoramic vista of Mariental and the Wartburg is framed.

Sustainability
The center meets KfW 45 standards—consuming 55% less energy than typical equivalents—through a holistic approach combining passive design, geothermal heating, solar orientation, green roofing, ergonomic layouts, and cost-saving strategies. Wildflower meadows support pollinators, and sheep maintain the landscape sustainably, reinforcing the project’s ecological values.

Client Satisfaction
While many industrial projects prioritize cost-efficiency over design, smart planning enabled major cost savings in key areas, freeing resources for architectural enhancements. Despite its ambitious design, the project came in well below the original budget, demonstrating how design quality and fiscal responsibility can align.

Typology Industrial, New Construction

Size 24,000 sqm

Completion 2023

Team
Partner: Dietmar Berger
Lead Logistics: Fabian Hesebeck
Lead Architect: Jennifer Harmon Intl. Assoc. AIA
Architect: Luqman Malik
BIM Manager: Julian Hoffmann
Draftsperson: Annalisa Lazzara
Photography: Albrecht Voss

In Contract with io Consultants, GmbH & Co. Heidelberg, Germany

Headquartered in the southeastern Chinese city of Shantou, Sirio Pharmaceuticals produces vitamins and is the patent holder and inventor of Soft Gel capsules.

Sirio sought to update its primary manufacturing site and include a multipurpose Headquarters facility situated on one of Shantou’s busiest corridors between a main vehicular artery and a future high speed train tracks.

Now under construction, the new Headquarter Complex is composed of two buildings which stand directly adjacent to Sirio’s production facility. The northern wing, will house a visitor center including a brand experience, educational center, auditorium, museum, pharmacological incubator spaces and the start point to a factory tour. The southern wing is planned to house a VIP entrance, VIP restaurant, employee cafeteria and Administrative office as well as additional laboratories.

The design concept utilises the material properties of the vitamins that the company produces. Each type of vitamin possesses its own material properties of transparency, size, texture and color. These qualities informed the architectural formal concept to help minimise the monumentality of the scale of the building form. This was achieved by analysing the program and creating blocks in space that were treated as individual buildings to create a vertical village. Each form is differentiated by materiality and transparency of the building envelope.

As a nod to the tradition of Chinese medicine, traditional chinese materials were selected. Bamboo, a living element was also defined as a vital architectural element as the plant would create shading, greenery and movement within the building. Traditional hand made grey brick is mixed with modern white solar shading elements to assist with building cooling. White fritting coats exposed curtain wall glass to introduce another value in translucency.

Brand Experience
The focal point of the visitor experience is the Soft Gel which will be constructed of a self supporting timber lattice structure set within a glass box. This internal pavilion will house a comprehensive collection and exhibition of the company’s products as well as a history of the company’s development and owner. It stands directly adjacent to an auditorium with a proscenium that opens up to reveal and provide visitor access to the experience.

Typology Mixed Use, New Construction

Size 27,000 sqm

Completion 2027

Team
Partner: Jeremy Hotchkiss RIBA
Lead Design Architect: Jennifer Harmon Intl. Assoc. AIA
Team Architect: Luca Kunzmann AiP
Chinese Liaison: Bill Shen

In contract with io Consultants GmbH, & Co. KG

SYPartners is a consulting firm which bases its practice on helping businesses find success through novel solutions. The founders and leaders of the firm come from firms known for their creativity and innovative business practices. As such the company employs a diverse team of people with skills ranging from but not limited to business management, design, economics to psychology. During the great economic recession in 2008, they found success within the private sector to assist companies through the economic decline. With the sudden demand of their services, the firm required more space to expand their practice. The clients located two floors of available space within a building located near the Flatiron district in New York City.

The design of the commercial retains much of the old brick and stone industrial aesthetic common within the historic buildings in that neighborhood. The raw post industrial space conveyed economy and practicality. A large work room which serves as the firm’s primary think-tank collaboration space sits immediately adjacent to the reception area and is demarcated by large glass panels enabling a visually transparent workflow while providing auditory privacy and minimizing distraction throughout the open plan office.

It was important to generate a space that conveyed authenticity and sophistication and support the vision of SYPartners. This was accomplished by introducing raw materials including industrial felt, leather, raw wood and steel and contrasting those textures and hues with a space abstraced with white paint and epoxy flooring. Industrial furniture pieces were complimented white contract furniture within the main working spaces. Targeted moments of vibrancy provided by acoustic panels attenuate the sound within the space. The light fixtures were created by simply placing half chrome lightbulbs within the ceiling coffers. 

In Contract with A+I Architecture, New York, NY
Project Lead: Amy Howell AIA
Design: Jennifer Harmon
Photography: Magda Biernat Webster

Miami, Florida USA

ca. 2 000 m²

DE

Als das Spa-Imperium in New York City mit Starwood Hotels zusammenarbeitete, strebte Bliss nach einer Expansion mit der Kette von Luxushotels, die Immobilien erwerben. Bliss wurde zum hauseigenen Spa-Erlebnis für W Hotels.

Bliss baute seine Marke auf der Idee auf, dass sich ein Spa-Erlebnis bei luxuriösen Dienstleistungen nicht zu ernst nehmen muss. Diese Haltung spiegelt sich in den von ihnen produzierten und vermarkteten Produkten wider, indem spielerische Bildsprache und Text sowie eine erhebende Farbpalette verwendet werden. Die Kombination von Luxus und Spaß ist die Essenz der Marke Bliss.

Bliss bemühte sich auch, auf den spezifischen Kontext des jeweiligen Ortes einzugehen, sodass die Gattung Loci Ideen über das einzigartige Design der jeweiligen Wellness-Destination erhielt.

Die Lage in South Beach Miami bot eine perfekte Kombination aus lokalem Kontext und ihrer Marke. Das entstandene Spa suchte nach einer Umgebung, die der Strandkultur, der historischen Architektur von Morris Lapidus und dem weltbekannten Art Deco-Viertel entsprach. Räumliche und formale Referenzen in der Gestaltung des Raums stehen für Bullaugen, Bambus-Cabanas und die lebendige Kultur in South Beach, während sie für die Gäste unvergleichlichen Luxus schaffen.

EN

When New York City based spa empire, Bliss, partnered with Starwood Hotels they sought to expand with the chain of luxury hotels' acquisition of properties. Bliss became the in-house spa experience for W Hotels. 

Bliss built its brand upon the idea that a spa experience didn't have to take itself too seriously while providing luxury services. This attitude is reflected in the products they produce and market through the use of playful imagery and text as well as utilizing an uplifting color palette. The combination of luxury and fun is the essence that comprises the Bliss brand.

Bliss also sought to respond to the specific context of each location - allowing the genus loci to inform ideas about the unique design of each spa destination.

The South Beach Miami location offered a perfect pairing of local context with their Brand. The resulting spa sought to recreate an environment that responded to the beach culture, the historical architecture of Morris Lapidus and the world famous Art Deco district. Spatial and Formal references within the design of the space signify portholes, bamboo cabanas and the lively culture in South Beach while creating unmatched luxury for guests.

2010

a + i design

Dag Folger, Eliane Maillot, Jennifer Harmon, Jody Kinney

Photography: Magda Biernat

Tom Tjaarda is a legendary automotive designer. Educated at Taubman College of Architecture, his visionary ideas about automobile design earned him the chance as a young designer to work in the automotive industry in Torino, Italy. He has designed automobiles for Ghia, Pinafarina, DeTomaso, and FIAT to name a few.

Tjaarda was honored with the Taubman College Distinguished Alumni Award in 2014, a distinction that comes with a retrospective exhibit of the designer’s life work.

The content of the exhibit was organized around a continuous loop of space that touched on significant moments in automative design. A timeline of his career was catalogued through a chronologic index made from the profiles of every automobile that he designed. These car profiles were produced using various CNC modes of produciton. Each profile included the name, date and monochromatic photo of the automobile. The exhibit was accompanied by a pristine 1971 DeTomaso Pantera, one of his most popular designs.
 

2014

Exhibition Director : Mary Ann Wilkinson

Lead Designer : Jen Harmon

Design Team : Matthew Jensen, Adrian Lopez, Troy Hillman

Fabrication Assistance : Wes McGee

Automobile Assistance : Brian Joseph, Classic & Exotic Service, Troy, MI

Photography : Peter Smith

DE

Der Flatiron District in New York City liegt am Broadway zwischen Union Square und Madison Square Park. Unterhalb dieses Abschnitts des Broadway befördern vier verschiedene U-Bahn-Linien die Passagiere schnell durch einen winzigen Teil des riesigen U-Bahn-Netzes. Der Übergang von der dunklen und feuchten unterirdischen Umgebung zu der geschäftigen und "relativ" sauberen Luft über dem Boden ist eine Übergangszone, in der kontrastierende Atmosphären zusammenstoßen. Ähnliche Übergangszonen finden Sie in den Lobbybereichen von Gebäuden entlang lebhafter Fußgängerzonen.

873 Broadway ist eine Immobilie, die ihre Etagen an verschiedene Mieter vermietet. Es ist ein Gebäude, das einen Einblick in das vorgentrifizierte New York bietet, das für Fotografen, Musiker und Startups erschwinglich war.

Das Anwesen erforderte eine viel überfällige Lobby-Renovierung, die die Ästhetik des Raums verbessern würde, ohne aufdringlich zu wirken. Das Design musste sich über mehrere dialektische Beziehungen erstrecken. belebte Straße v. ruhiges Interieur, prunkvolle Gentrifizierung v. bescheidene Aktualisierung, massive Corporation v. bescheidene Aufstiege. Mit anderen Worten, die Neugestaltung musste sowohl für die Mieter als auch für das Umfeld des Flatiron-Viertels sensibel sein.

Die Materialien in der renovierten Lobby spiegeln die allgegenwärtig präsentierten sechseckigen Fliesen, rostfreie U-Bahn-Türen und indirekte Beleuchtung wider. Die Musterung der hexagonalen Kacheln von dunkel nach hell erzeugt eine Übergangsatmosphäre.

2010

Firma: A + I Design

Projektmanagerin: Amy Howell

Lead Designerin: Jennifer Harmon

EN

The Flatiron District in New York City straddles Broadway between Union Square and Madison Square Park. Beneath this section of Broadway, four distinct subway lines swiftly transport passengers through a tiny portion of the vast underground network.  of Moving from the dark and dank underground environment to the bustling and 'relatively' clean air above ground is a transition zone where contrasting atmospheres collide. Similar transition zones can be found in the lobby spaces of buildings along busy pedestrian thoroughfares. 

873 Broadway is a property that leases its floors to a variety of tenants. It is a building that contains a glimpse into the pre-gentrified New York that was affordable to photographers, musicians and startups. 

The property required a much overdue lobby renovation that would improve the aesthetics of the space without appearing ostentatious. The design had to straddle multiple dialectic relationships; bustling street v. quiet interior, ostentatious gentrification v. humble update, massive corporation v. humble upstarts. In other words, the redesign needed to be sensitive to both the tenants and the context of the flatiron district.

The materials in the renovated lobby mirror the ubiquitously present hexagonal tiles, stainless subway doors, indirect lighting. The patterning of the hexagonal tiles from dark to light creates an atmosphere of transition.

2010

Firm: A+I Architecture, New York, NY

Project Manager: Amy Howell AIA
Lead Designer: Jennifer Harmon Intl. Assoc. AIA
Photography: Jennifer Harmon Intl. Assoc. AIA

DE

Die umliegende Organisation dieses Bürogebäudes wurde als Ergebnis von Informationen erstellt, die vom Kunden während eines intensiven Workshops gesammelt wurden. In Vorbesprechungen wurde deutlich, dass die Firma einen einzigartigen Entwicklungsprozess für ihre Produkte einsetzt. Durch die Erstellung eines Tools zur interaktiven Darstellung dieses Prozesses konnte der Kunde seinen internen Prozess effektiv verstehen und so klar beschreiben, wie ein neues Gebäude sein Geschäft erweitern und effizienter und damit rentabler machen kann. Der Arbeitsprozess ist basierend auf einem 10-tägigen Zyklus, der höchste Flexibilität erfordert, während sehr spezifische Arbeitsraumarten verwendet werden, um die verschiedenen Aufgaben zu erledigen, die für jeden Schritt in ihrem Arbeitsprozess erforderlich sind.

Durch die Kombination des Raumprogramms, des Arbeitsprozesses, der räumlichen und gerätetechnischen Anforderungen der einzelnen Aufgaben sowie der Anforderungen und Einschränkungen des Standortes wurde die rohe Form des Gebäudes generiert. Die Fassade wird durch eine facettierte Abschirmung, die die Außenseite umhüllt, geglättet und bietet Blendschutz, während der Sonnengewinn im Gebäude selbst reduziert wird. Ein Innenhof bietet einen einladenden Eingang zum Gebäude und dient gleichzeitig als Möglichkeit, kühlere Luft durch das Innere des Gebäudes zu bewegen. Das Programm umfasst einen Präsentationsraum im Stadionstil, der neben einem verglasten "Hardware-Hacker-Tank" und einem Café liegt und öffnet sich zum Hof. Dies unterstreicht eine Innovationsatmosphäre, indem es den Gedankenaustausch zwischen Mitarbeitern, Kunden und externen Besuchern visuell und verbal fördert.

Die Innenarbeitsbereiche sind in erster Linie offen, während private Hotdesks und Gruppenarbeitsräume möglich sind.

EN

The circumambulatory organization of this office building was generated as the result of information gathered from the client during an intensive workshop. During preliminary meetings it became clear that the firm utilizes a unique process of developing their products. By generating a tool to interactively diagram this process, the client was able to effectively understand their internal process and thus provide a clearer description of how a new building could empower their business to expand and become more efficient and therefore more profitable.

The work process is based on a 10 day cycle that requires ultimate flexibility while using highly specific workroom types to accomodate the different tasks required by each step in their work process.

By combining the room program, the working process, spatial and equipment requirements of individual tasks along with the requirements and restrictions of the site, generated the raw form of the building. The facade is further articulated by a faceted screen that wraps around the exterior and provides glare protection while reducing solar gain within the building itself. An interior courtyard provides an inviting entrance to the building while also serving as a way to move cooler air through the interior of the structure.

The program accomodates a stadium style presentation space that is adjacent to a glass enclosed “hardware hacker tank” and a cafe and opens up to the courtyard. This emphasizes an atmosphere of innovation by visually and verbally encouraging idea exchange between employees, clients and external visitors.

The interior workspaces are primarily open, while allowing for private hot-desking and group based work rooms.

Design: Jennifer Harmon

Company Name Withheld

Located in Utah, this neutriceutical manufacturer was seeking to expand and improve the working conditions of their current factory.

After a thorough analysis, 25% of the existing facility was disused and not structurally viable for renovation. The task was to perform a week long workshop and conduct a feasability study to conceptualise and evaluate various solutions.

Important goals and boundaries were defined to create the most cost effective solution to improve the site for:
+ Improved efficiency and production output
+ generate an ideal production layout
+ evaluate site conditions including structural integrity and local building laws
+ integrate an updated brand experience which reflects the sustainable goals of the company
+ create a vastly improved workplace experience to become an attractive employer

Working closely with factory planning colleagues and the client, we developed four scenarios. The most favourable scenario was further developed and presented to the company’s board for further consideration.

In contact with io Consultants GmbH & Co. KG Heidelberg Germany

Project Team:
Partner: Rupert Hocherl
Lead Architect: Jennifer Harmon Intl. Assoc. AIA

Located near Tübingen Germany, Erbe is the producer of Electrical Medical Equipment.

Program
Medical Equipment factory with Warehouse, Distribution Center, Company Restaurant and Offices.

Facade
Facade was conceived to mimic a felled tree. A grey lattice wood facade clads the longitudinal facades while a saturated facade of Trespa panels caps the ends of the building.

A powder coated metal roof to match the wood is rounded at the eaves to create a smooth transition that gives the illusion of a seamless enclosure.

The design of the wood lattice is optimised for breathability, renewability and solar shading. The end caps are recessed behind the wood facade and are comprised of Trespa panels of varying finishes within the same hue to create an abstract pattern alluding to growth rings.

Sustainability
This industrial building reached a KFW certification of 40+ through its use of Hybrid Wood Timber Construction, Wood Facade and other renewable construction materials, Photo Voltaic Roof and commitment to the health and wellbeing of its employees and programmatic connection to the direct community.

Awards 2024 University of Stuttgart Industriebaupreis Honorable Mention

Type Industrial, New Construction

Completion 2023

Project Team:
Partners: Florian Heimerl, Jeremy Hotchkiss RIBA
Design Lead: Jeremy Hotchkiss RIBA
Project Architect: Markus Seidel
Design Assistance, Facade: Jennifer Harmon Intl. Assoc. AIA
Photography: Albrecht Voss

In Contract with io Consultants GmbH & Co., KG.

Sirio Pharmaceutical Health Industrial Park is located in MaAnShan near Nan Jing and Shanghai. A small tributary of the Yangtze River runs through the property along the northern boundary. Within this body of water the client built a small island and commissioned a visitor pavilion to be built there as part of a larger masterplan.

The form of the building rotates around a central point that is a stage situated on the edge of the stream, as the pavilion rotates around the center point, it rises from the water to create a protective shell around a carefully constructed environment.

The shell is built from laminated engineered timber and serves as a shelter for a small conference center for meetings and a small kitchen. The exterior deck which bounds a waterlily pond can be enjoyed in conjunction with the open air amphitheater which is carved into the landscape as an answer to the pavilion. The copper patina shingles clad the roof and are surrounded by elegant willow and peach trees.

After visiting the site, we worked closely yet remotely with the client and the local design institute to create the necessary digital files which were constructed in Rhinocerous, evaluated by the chinese authorities and detailed by the local design institute (LDI).

Construction followed and was completed within a month of ground breaking.

In contract with io Consultants GmbH, & Co. KG

Project Team:
Partner and Lead Designer: Jeremy Hotchkiss RIBA
Technical Design: Jennifer Harmon Intl. Assoc. AIA
Design Assistance: Luca Kunzmann AiP

Located in Cleveland, Ohio

Glickman Tower is a medical office building expansion that answers to a larger patient experience strategy developed in tandem with IDEO.

The client requested a departure from the typical hospital aesthetic that at the time of the project mimicked living rooms. A fan of the great modern architects, we were invited to create a truly modern healing environment.

The interior material strategy was based upon the colours found on rocks and pebbles that compose the shoreline of the Great Lakes. The comprehensive perception is an unbleached white beach, however upon closer inspection there is a riot of color that exists in natural geologic hues. This phenomena drove the selection of authentic materials that as a whole, read as a white space, but intuitively created a lush and supple environment.

Deployment of the materials was codified by the interaction of the patient with the hospital. Transitory spaces were clad in sleek and hard materials that could withstand heavy foot traffic and subconsciously encouraged patients to move through them. Backlit frosted glass lifted people through interior stairways, Soft hammered slate redirected patients at pathway nodes. Artwork from emerging artists lured patients through the corridors.

Surfaces with more tactile textures and warmer pallet of color invited stasis and comfort. Warm walnut was used as a transactional space for talking with hospital representatives. Supple taupe upholstery provided comforting armchairs for waiting, while real wood carpet created a quiet space by attenuating noise.

In contract with nbbj, Columbus, OH

Project Team:
Partner: Henry Chao AIA

Architecture:
Henry Chao AIA
Jennifer Harmon Intl. Assoc. AIA
Tim Jones RA
Alex Ng
Joseph Chartouny

Interior Design:
Edwin Beltran NCIDQ
Karen Miller
Jennifer Harmon Intl. Assoc. AIA
Stasia Suleiman

Kuwait University began as a large parcel of land south of Kuwait City in an area known as Shadadiya. An expansive piece of property had been imagined as an educational oasis within the Arabian Peninsula. Building a new university from ground up allowed the design team to deeply question the relationship between program, function and the form of the building.

The College of Science presented the design team with several larger questions about architecture’s role and influence over its inhabitant population.

Can the form and positioning of various programmatic elements restructure the traditional pedagogical format of an institution? Within the College of Science, all sciences would be grouped together. Traditionally, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics and Earth Science are taught independently often in separate buildings. Eliminating the physical architectural separation between the disciplines and creating collaborative spaces organised around social and educational gathering zones.

How do the semiotics of architectural form become an advocate for generating a unique identity within a college campus? The College of Science is part of a larger complex of university buildings. How can the architecture reflect the identity o the Kuwaiti people and culture, the university while maintaining its own unique identity?

How can a college become an incubator for intellectual exchange between individuals while respecting cultural traditions? Within the cultural tradition of Kuwait, is is common for younger adults to be separated by gender. This presented a significant architectural challenge in several ways, initially, double loaded secure corridors were required and extensive duplication of program was considered. Here there was an opportunity to study alternative architectural typologies that organize separate populations (ie: airports, hospitals) to look for inspiration.

These broad questions have no definite answer, yet within this larger proposal the design attempted to tackle each of these questions simultaneously while organising complex programming. We developed four proposals with varying formal and organisational strategies for the conceptual design phase:

+ Networked Cells: Multiple nodes of social and educational mixing would allow for the blurring of disciplines.

+ Convergent Threads: Linear connections between disciplines would generate convergent zones of interaction.

+ Helical Net: A densely packed program wrapped itself around a social corridor embedded with supplementary program.

+Linking Nuclei: A single core allows for larger collaborative interactions between disciplines and students while retaining operational efficiency within each disciplinary unit.

The Schematic Design Phase continued to develop each of the four schemes but heavily favoured the “Linking Nuclei” strategy which was further developed to Design Development and construction was completed in 2023.

I served as a Design Team Leader from the Research Phase through the beginning of Design Development. The ideas, strategies and concepts that I contributed were instrumental in providing the client with a robust architectural strategy which will serve the University and its Students.

Type Education New Construction

Size 83,300 sqm

Completion 2023

In contract with nbbj, Columbus, OH