Der Elfenbeinturm, lange Zeit Sinnbild für akademisches Denken und Forschen, ist längst passé. Zeitgemäß agierende Universitäten öffnen sich mit Formaten wie Campustagen oder Wissenschaftsnächten schon seit vielen Jahren für weite Teile der Bevölkerung. Auch die Bauhaus-Universität Weimar versteht sich nicht allein als Bildungs- und Forschungseinrichtung, sondern als Akteurin in der Gesellschaft. Sie gestaltet den öffentlichen Diskurs und nimmt Verantwortung weit über den Campus hinaus wahr. Sichtbarkeit und die Verbindung zu anderen Bereichen sind dabei entscheidend: Forschung und Lehre sollen nicht im Verborgenen wirken, sondern im produktiven Austausch mit der Gesellschaft stehen.

On 31 March, the six-year project period of the DFG-funded Media Anthropology research training group (GRAMA) at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar’s Faculty of Media came to an end. Last Friday, members of the research training group gathered to celebrate an emotional farewell together with representatives from the University at the site of the former tram depot (Lichthaus Kino).

Die Transformation von Mobilität und Energieversorgung gehört zu den zentralen Herausforderungen der Gegenwart. Kommunale Unternehmen wie die Stadtwirtschaft Weimar GmbH übernehmen hierbei eine Vorreiterrolle, indem sie innovative Technologien mit wissenschaftlicher Begleitung, unter anderem durch die Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, unter realen Bedingungeneinsetzen. Erlebbar wird die enge Verbindung von Wissenschaft, Lehre und kommunaler Praxis am Beispiel des Wasserstoffbusses »Walter Gropius«, welcher ab 8. April 2026 mit neuer Gestaltung durch Weimar fährt.

The »Tilia Awards« were presented for the first time on 20 March 2026 for scientific and practice-based projects that take new approaches to urban spaces. Out of over 150 entries, 24 winners were selected, including the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and the IAB-Institut für angewandte Bauforschung Weimar for their work in the »Akademische Arbeiten und Forschung« (academic work and research) category. The interdisciplinary »GrayToGreen« research project was honoured for its integration of vertical greening and grey water treatment.

Democratic societies depend on reliable information. But the rapid spread of misinformation through digital platforms is overwhelming for both users and current verification systems. Individuals who want to combat disinformation effectively need tools that can detect increasingly sophisticated technical forgeries and allow users to critically evaluate content. The ClaimGuard and PADSE research projects at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar’s Faculty of Media are involved in the in the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space’s current funding programme and developing new solutions for dealing with digital misinformation.

From 19 to 22 March 2026, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar could be found at their stand in Hall 5 of the Leipzig Book Fair. The University brought their experimental exhibition concept exploring typography, space, structure, materials, light, and scenography to life on a 60 square metre space. The »RESONANCE.PATTERN« exhibition stand was created as part of an interdisciplinary Bauhaus.Module led by Prof. Michael Herrmann and Torsten Müller from the Professorship of Construction Design and Structural Design.

Wie lässt sich der Zustand von Wäldern künftig präziser erfassen, Schäden frühzeitig erkennen und Aufforstung langfristig dokumentieren? Mit dieser Frage beschäftigen sich internationale Studierende vom 16. bis 20. März 2026 in einer Innovation & Startup Challenge an der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Die Veranstaltung ist Teil der BAUHAUS4EU Spring School und bringt rund 20 bis 25 Teilnehmende aus den europäischen Partneruniversitäten der Allianz für fünf Tage nach Weimar.

Wood, textiles, and light make up the stand while typography provides the narrative structure. At the end is a shared goal: Representing the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar at the 2026 Leipzig Book Fair. This is the mission that 15 students started their 2025/2026 winter semester with. Under the academic direction of Prof. Michael Herrmann and Torsten Müller from the Professorship of Construction Design and Structural Design, five experimental designs were conceived as part of the interdisciplinary Bauhaus.Module »typotopie«. The concept by students Petter Bolstad, Nina Siegle, and Ngoc Truc Phuong Nguyen was selected for the Fair.

How is housing evolving in times of multiple crises? How do social change and the material design of architecture, neighbourhoods, and infrastructures influence one another? These questions will be addressed on 7 and 8 May 2026 at the »Weiter wohnen wie gewohnt? Gesellschaftliche Transformation und räumliche Materialisierung des Wohnens« conference at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.

As part of the research project IN TUNE: Performing Material Attunement for Post-Authorial (Architectural) Design Practices, two public round tables will take place on Monday, February 16, and Tuesday, February 17, 2026, from 6.30 – 8 p.m. each evening. International designers and architects will discuss performative and material-based approaches in architecture and design, both on site and online.

How did modernist design ideal spread beyond Europe? And what did they come to mean in South Asian media cultures? This question forms the foundation of the »From Process to Aesthetic: Recontextualizing Modernism in South Asia through Cinema, Print, and Object-Oriented Ontology« (2025–26) research project. Funded by the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar’s research workshop initiative, the project focusses on architecture, media, and material aesthetics and consistently examines modernism from a postcolonial perspective.

Vom Freitag, 27. bis Sonntag, 29. März 2026 findet das 8. Internationale Symposium zur Baukulturellen Bildung im Eiermannbau in Apolda statt. Das bundesweite Forum bietet unter dem Motto »Textil vermittelt« Raum für Austausch und Diskussion über die Bedeutung der baukulturellen Bildung.

Small and mid-sized skilled trades businesses are facing growing challenges; repurposing and renovating existing buildings is becoming increasingly complex, time pressure is mounting, and there is a growing shortage of skilled workers. Digital tools and robotics are promising relief. But how can new technologies be used in a way that they actually help craftspeople in their everyday life? This is the question being asked by the interdisciplinary research team at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar in the »Handwerk der Zukunft« project. The team will be receiving nearly one million euros in funding from the European Social Fund from 2026 to 2028.

With a focus on the theme of »Experiential Turn – Erfahrungsräume für zukunftsfähiges Lernen« (experiential turn – experiential spaces for future-proof learning), the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is inviting you to this year’s TURN Conference: On 24 and 25 September, everything will be evolving around »Experiential Learning«. This term refers to a sustainable learning process though which knowledge is gained from concrete experiences. These experiences are then reflected upon, theoretically conceptualised, and further developed through repeated experimentation. Experiential learning influences not only the learning process, but also how knowledge is generated and insights are produced. Those interested can submit contributions until 28 February 2026.

How can public cultural programming connect with young people, get them involved, and make them more visible? Students from the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and the University of Erfurt tackled this question as part of a collaboration with ARD Kultur and the TeleVisionale Film and Media Festival. Their findings were presented during the festival, which was held for the first in Weimar from 1 to 5 December 2025, and expressed clear recommendations for cultural programming.

Snow-covered mountains, a whiteboard in front of an icy blue lake, delicious-looking gingerbread cookies, and a festively decorated Christmas tree: A seemingly normal lecture from the »Virtual Reality and Visualization« professorship was relocated to an extraordinary setting before Christmas. Rather than meeting in the lecture hall, students and instructors gathered together in a specially designed digital winter wonderland to learn, discuss, and experiment together. The »3D Interaction Techniques: Manipulation« event took place entirely over virtual reality.

With its application-oriented, cutting-edge research into resource-saving building materials and forward-looking construction methods, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar was represented at the international »Ideen – Erfindungen – Neuheiten« (iENA) trade fair in November 2025: Four patent applications have now been awarded two gold and two silver medals. At the award ceremony on 11 December 2025 at the Technischen Universität Ilmenau, the scientists were presented with their medals and certificates in a festive ceremony.

On September 1, 2025, the DFG-funded research project Authoritarian Urbanism in the 21st Century: Progressive Urban Design and Participatory Planning in Hungary and Serbia started at the chair European Cities and Urban Heritage.

Mai Do’s »VOXAIPE – Decoded« digital typography project was honoured at the Deutschen Design Club (DDC) competition. The innovative, AI-supported typography design tool stood out with its conceptual originality and design quality in the »Digital Talents« category. Her work explores how artificial intelligence can translate voices into visual forms.

With over 60 employees and millions of euros in third-party funding, the F.A. Finger Institute for Building Materials Engineering (or FIB) is currently the most important research facility at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Founded in 1995, the Institute’s roots go back to the 1940s, when Friedrich August Finger, the man after whom it was named, established this innovative field of research and teaching. Together with the »Institut für angewandte Bauforschung« (IAB) and the Materials Research and Testing Laboratory (MFPA), Weimar’s innovative location is going to expand to become a Federal Construction Research Centre. These and other milestones of the FIB will be honoured at a ceremony marking its 30th anniversary.