More than 1,300 citizens have filled out questionnaires to evaluate architectural designs for Frankfurt's planned House of Democracy near the historic Paulskirche. The public evaluation period continues until September 30, with a final workshop scheduled for Tuesday to review the ten selected proposals that emerged from an international competition.

Most of the winning designs focus on renovating the treasury building (Kämmerei) adjacent to the Paulskirche, though some propose constructing an entirely new building on Paulsplatz. The project carries an estimated cost of 75 million euros. One notable design from Copenhagen-based Atelier Lorentzen Langkilde Aps suggests transforming the treasury building with a new roof structure.

The ten selected designs are displayed online at deinhausderdemokratie.de and exhibited in the Paulskirche through the end of September. However, the 118 designs that didn't make the final cut are only available for viewing in a simple flip-through stand, rather than being properly displayed. This limited presentation has drawn sharp criticism from the German Association of Architects (BDA).

The BDA Frankfurt argues that all 128 submitted designs should be properly exhibited and included in the public participation process. According to their statement, only an appealing exhibition would do justice to the efforts of the architectural firms involved. The organization emphasizes that an online presentation alone is insufficient, particularly given that architectural offices provided planning services worth more than one million euros free of charge as a voluntary contribution to democracy.

Moritz Kölling and Antje Voigt, writing for the BDA, contend that limiting the process to only the ten prize-winning designs unnecessarily narrows the public debate. They argue that all proposals represent contributions to democratic discourse and should be subject to public discussion. The architectural diversity and even controversial contributions should be made visible to foster a broader democratic conversation about the project.

Each of the ten selected designs received a prize of 22,000 euros, but participants received no additional compensation or guarantee of future contracts for their competition entries. The BDA views this as a significant voluntary commitment and democratic gesture that deserves proper recognition through comprehensive exhibition of all submissions.

The current public participation process focuses solely on the architectural concept, while the specific programming and activities for the House of Democracy remain undetermined. Additional public engagement opportunities regarding the building's content and purpose are planned for next year. Following the city council's decision on a preferred concept, a separate implementation competition will be announced for the actual construction phase.

The results of the current citizen participation process will influence the city council's final decision on the project. Participants in the future implementation competition will also need to consider a usage analysis of Paulsplatz that the city commissioned, with results now available based on surveys conducted between April and June 2025.

The plaza analysis revealed valuable insights about how people currently use the space around the Paulskirche. Most visitors come to dine at local restaurants or meet with others, with tourists comprising up to 14 percent of users, depending on the day of the week. The study found that seating is unevenly distributed across the plaza and that people move in multiple directions, highlighting the need for more direct pedestrian connections.

The analysis also identified significant accessibility challenges for people with limited mobility, revealing barriers to barrier-free movement across the plaza. These findings will inform future planning decisions for both the House of Democracy and the surrounding public space.

The final workshop for public input on the House of Democracy is scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Registration is available through the project website deinhausderdemokratie.de, which also features all design proposals and the citizen participation questionnaire.