Studio Schönenstein was founded in 2025 by architect and designer Ben Schönenstein as a response to a cultural moment: while traditional religious structures fade for many, the human impulse for reverence, meaning, and sacred presence remains. Our studio explores this evolving landscape through space, perception, and collective experience.
The Founder
Ben Schönenstein is a Cologne-based architect whose work moves between theory, design, and cultural research. With roots in both built architecture and immersive experience design, he has long been involved in communities exploring the intersection of space, consciousness, and social imagination— including a 6 year participation in the Sacred Sites & Architecture branch of Le Ciel's Holistic Visions Symposium.
His ongoing inquiry centers around how attention, perception, and spatial design can help shape post-religious expressions of the sacred—spaces that are open, inclusive, and culturally resonant.
Our Approach
We work at the intersection of spatial design, phenomenological research, and cultural practice. Our projects combine rigorous inquiry with experiential prototyping, always oriented toward what feels alive, necessary, and true in this moment.
Rather than importing fixed ideas, we listen for what is already emerging: the gestures, atmospheres, and rituals through which people seek presence and connection today.
Our Practice
Studio Schönenstein brings together collaborators from architecture, sound, philosophy, and cultural theory. We work across disciplines and media — creating immersive events, typological experiments, and cross-cultural research projects.
Our work is both grounded and visionary. We move slowly, thoughtfully, and with care—shaping the kinds of spaces and ideas that might become cultural thresholds in the years to come.