On Thursday 10 July 2025, the Student Council (StuKo) conferred Teaching Awards to six teaching formats at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar that students consider particularly good. The award ceremony took place during the Summaery opening event, which was held behind the main university building.

Die sozial-ökologische Transformation ist nicht nur eine technische oder planerische Herausforderung – sie ist ein politisches Konfliktfeld. Unter dem Titel »Räumliche Konflikte um sozial-ökologische Transformation – Zwischen Krise, Polarisierung und Entwürfen räumlicher Gerechtigkeit« widmet sich die diesjährige Jahrestagung des Instituts für Europäische Urbanistik (IfEU) an der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar am 24. und 25. September 2025 den drängenden Fragen und Spannungsverhältnissen, die mit dieser Transformation einhergehen.

Admittedly, no one has ever been able to visit all the summaery venues and »take in« all the events. With 50 venues and countless openings, presentations, celebrations, award ceremonies and panel discussions, the programme is simply too packed for that.

»ACHTUNG«, the German word for »attention«, is the motto of this year’s summaery. It was decided by the Faculty of Art & Design, which is also responsible for the associated visuals. The projects of second-semester students from three of the faculty’s five study programmes are well worth seeing. Hence »attention« please: here’s what’s new!

During the summaery2025 annual exhibition, a panel discussion will take place at 5–6:30 p.m. on Saturday12 July 2025 on the annual theme of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.

On 3 July, the presidents of the ten state institutions of higher education in Thuringia laid the foundation stone for the Thuringian University Network for Sustainability when they signed a declaration of intent.

Media representatives are cordially invited to the award ceremony for the Lyonel Art Prize, which will take place at Berkaer Straße 11 at 6 p.m. on Friday 11 July 2024. This award recognising the final theses of talented young artists will be conferred for what is now the sixth time.

How much attention does an idea need? And when does an idea become a catalyst for social change? During the summaery2025, the Faculty of Media will showcase its projects in the newly renovated building at Bauhausstraße 11. Visitors are invited to come explore new perspectives on digital, social and creative topics of the future.

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.

Im Rahmen des bundesweiten Digitaltags sowie der Woche des Wasserstoffs fand in Weimar ein zweitägiger Praxisworkshop für Fachleute aus Wissenschaft, Verwaltung und Praxis statt, um zentrale Zukunftsthemen des öffentlichen Verkehrs (ÖV) zu diskutieren: Digitalisierung und alternative Antriebe.

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.

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.

The ten state universities in Thuringia have launched the Thuringian University Network for Sustainability. Through this strategic alliance, the universities are actively tackling global challenges such as climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and social inequalities. On 3 July, the presidents will sign a declaration of intent at Schloss Tinz in Gera, in which they commit to the long-term protection of natural resources, creating humane living conditions for present and future generations, and achieving global justice. Media representatives are warmly invited to attend.

Crisis or a source of strength? The seventh and final instalment of the event series in the 2025 summer semester will look at the future of Europe.

Housing in changing. Increasing urbanisation and social evolution mean the pressure on housing forms and structures is growing. How can housing be designed in the future so that it is socially just and ecologically sustainable? The »Transformation des Wohnens – Herausforderungen und Zugänge im praxisorientierten Dialog« symposium is dedicated to addressing these challenges. On 11 and 12 September, experts from academia, the industry, and civil society will meet in Berlin to analyse current developments, discuss new approaches, and present perspectives on housing design.