What happens when people from different cultural backgrounds garden, research, cook or rediscover traditional crafts together? The »Forestmade« project of the Faculty of Architecture & Urbanism shows how environmental education, intercultural exchanges and socio-ecological transformation can be combined – with local roots and an international concept. Initiated by Sonia Fiona Fernandes (European Urban Studies) and Yuen Yi (Sora) Wong (Media Management) and mentored by Anton Brokow-Loga (Research Associate – Chair of Urban Studies and Social Research), the project brings together students, local producers and civil society initiatives.

How can public service broadcasters remain relevant in a digital world, amid misinformation, platform logics and increasingly fragmented media usage? Students from the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and the University of Erfurt addressed just this question during the »Digital Environments« interdisciplinary module. Their ideas, questions and theories will be discussed and developed further together with experts during a public panel discussion and workshop on Friday, 11 July 2025.

The motto of this year’s summaery is »ACHTUNG« – the German word for »attention« or »caution«. It isn’t only a word of warning, though, but also alerts us to new things that are emerging and to a respectful and mindful interaction with one another. This year, the Faculty of Art and Design is responsible for organising the summaery and therefore also for developing the motto and design for the annual exhibition. The concept and visual idea for the summaery were conceived by Professor Burkhart von Scheven and Masihne Rasuli from the Chair for Visual Communication. The two Visual Communication students Mona Lea Kerntke and Leonard Behre developed the graphic design for the event posters, programme booklet and social media. They explain in this interview how traffic signs became design elements, why the design is loud and direct, but not discouraging, and why the town will light up in neon pink and silver.

How can we rethink spaces to make them sustainable for the future? What social and environmental needs must tomorrow’s homes and communal spaces meet? And how can architecture not just reflect change, but also help shape it? From 10 to 13 July, more than 35 projects will show how students from the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism tackled these questions. Many projects focus on existing buildings, take a resource-conscious, sensitive approach and often have a strong local or regional focus.

The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar regularly recognises outstanding teaching and learning formats with its Teaching Awards. This year, the award ceremony will take place during the summaery2025: From 5 p.m. on Thursday, 10 July 2025, a total of six awards will be conferred behind the Main Building.

Was ist das Auto, wenn es nicht fährt? Was geschieht im Moment des Stillstands und des Wartens? Diesen Fragen wurde im Rahmen der Konferenz Dimensionen des ruhenden Verkehrs vom 26. bis 28. Juni in Weimar nachgegangen, zu der die gleichnamige Forschungswerkstatt eingeladen hatte. Das Parken und das Halten wurden dabei in den Fokus gerückt, Mobilität einmal nicht hinsichtlich der Aspekte von Bewegung und Ortsveränderung betrachtet.

Nach 18 Jahren an der Fakultät Architektur und Urbanistik sowie in diversen Funktionen in der Universität scheidet Prof. Dr. Hans-Rudolf Meier zum Ende des Sommersemesters 2025 aus dem aktiven Universitätsbetrieb aus. Er verabschiedet sich am 9. Juli mit einer Vorlesung »(M)Ein halbes Jahrhundert ›Zukunft unserer Vergangenheit‹«.

There’s a lot of building work going on at the Coudray campus and in the lecture hall building right now, hence the engineers will show their work elsewhere between 10 and 13 July. There will be a pop-up exhibition on Goetheplatz, a straw bale tower on the outskirts of Weimar, plant walls with sensor technology in the seminar building and an outdoor clothes exchange on the campus. All this and much more awaits visitors to this year’s annual exhibition at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. It’s well worth taking a look at the programme, as some venues will only be open for a short time.

Masihne Rasuli, artistic staff member in Visuelle Kommunikation (Visual Communication), has long been interested in scientific topics. To get her students interested in the world of research, she will be offering a new course in the upcoming 2025/2026 winter semester: »Science, Bitch!«. In this course, design and science meet on an even playing field. It is not about explaining from an outside perspective, but rather about understanding and communicating from the inside.

Die nächsten Tage werden sommerlich, sommerlich heiß. Gerade in Städten mit zahlreichen versiegelten Flächen machen sich Hitzetage sehr schnell sehr unangenehm bemerkbar – viele Menschen leider darunter und vermissen kühlende Grünflächen. MDR Thüringen-Redakteur Thomas Becker hat zu diesem Thema recherchiert und Forschende der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar interviewt. Die Architekt*innen und Ingenieur*innen zeigen Lösungen auf, wie Städte sich in Zukunft besser auf Hitzetage vorbereiten könnten.