Bis 2027 fördert die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft das gemeinsam von Bauhaus-Universität Weimar und Universität Kassel durchgeführte Forschungsprojekt »Urbane Großprojekte im Diskurs«. In diesem Kontext widmete sich im September 2024 ein Workshop neuen Forschungslinien in der internationalen Megaprojekteforschung.

On 27 January, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar will mark the end of its multi-year project, »Erinnerungs- und Informationsmedien auf dem Campus«. The aim of the project was to investigate the Nazi history of university buildings and to make it public. The project focusses on two buildings: Marienstraße 13/15, once the headquarters of the »Thüringer Landesamtes für Rassewesen« (Thuringian State Office for Racial Affairs), and Belvederer Allee 6, a former »Jewish House«.

Up-and-coming talent in the construction industry was recognised by the »RKW Kompetenzzentrum« at »BAU 2025«, the world’s leading trade fair, in Munich on 14 January 2025. Among the award winners was Markus Boden, a scientific associate at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar’s Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His free digitalisation check for small and medium-sized companies in the construction industry impressed the jury and won him first place in the »Baubetriebswirtschaft« category. The university will be represented at a stand at the trade fair until Friday.

The global population is increasing steadily, as is the trend towards urbanisation. More and more surfaces are being paved. Green is turning more and more into grey – even in cities. Without plants to cool and clean urban air, heat islands and particle pollution will increase dramatically. Additionally, the increasing heavy rainfalls lead to increased flooding if the water is only able to drain into the sewer system and not into green spaces. In order for our cities to be sustainably liveable, they need more vegetation without sacrificing the usable spaces for which demand is increasing. This is precisely where innovative solutions like the VertiKKA project at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering come into play.

Long-lasting, robust, malleable – concrete is the 21st century’s most important building material. The original three-material system (cement, gravel, water) has become a high-performance material with properties that can be customised through the mix formulation. But there is one problem: Once concrete has been mixed, it can no longer be adapted. This means that unwanted changes in flow behaviour or durability—caused, for example, by varying environmental conditions or fluctuations in raw materials—can no longer be corrected.

Radio has been a medium of listening for more than 100 years – worldwide. This is the subject of the six-part podcast »Listening to the World – 100 Years of Radio Art«. All six episodes were broadcast on Deutschlandfunk Kultur and can now be heard in the ARD Audiothek and wherever podcasts are available.

A lack of public services, an ageing population, shrinking communities, climate change, a loss of trust in democracy — the Thuringian Forest is facing a broad range of challenges. But at the same time, ecological and social changes are opening up new opportunities—what will it take to sustainably transform the region for future generations?

The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar’s interdisciplinary research workshop »Dimensionen des ruhenden Verkehrs« (»Dimensions of stationary traffic«) is launching its lecture and workshop series entitled »Was ist das Auto, wenn es nicht fährt?« (»What is the car when it’s not driving?«) starting on 18 November. This series will invite exploration of the phenomenon of stationary traffic from various scientific perspectives. On three evenings in the winter semester of 2024/25, experts from the fields of transport planning, social sciences and media studies will present their findings and engage in discussions about them during workshops on the mornings that follow.

A project in the Faculty of Art and Design is working on digitally customised, 3D printed foot orthoses. The project will make everyday life easier for affected patients. Researchers on the »Digitale Orthetik« project were awarded a gold medal at the international »Ideen, Erfindungen, Neuheiten« (iENA) trade fair. The project was funded by the Thuringian Ministry for Economic Affairs, Science and Digital Society.

Die Bauhaus-Universität Weimar beteiligt sich vom 7. bis 9. November 2024 an der diesjährigen Europäischen Leitmesse für Denkmalpflege, Restaurierung und Altbausanierung »denkmal«. Mehrere Professuren und Institutionen der Architektur und Urbanistik sowie Bau- und Umweltingenieurwissenschaften stellen ausgewählte Forschungsprojekte rund um die Themen Bestand und Kulturerbe vor. Die denkmal-Messe findet im zweijährigen Turnus in Leipzig statt und richtet sich an die nationale und internationale Fachwelt.

Bauhaus-Universität Weimar students are establishing a meeting space in the heart of Suhl’s city centre. On 5 and 6 November 2024, students will be collecting past, present, and future urban society stories during the pottery market in the hopes of engaging with local citizens. Various events are planned, including a storytelling café and a panel discussion.

Natural hazards and severe weather events put buildings under great stress. Junior Professor Anastasia Athanasiou is investigating how to plan and build tall, slender structures safely and in a resource-efficient manner. Since July 2023, she has held the newly established chair of Natural Hazards and Structural Resilience at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. A native of Greece, she previously worked at the University of Catania (Italy) and Concordia University in Montreal (Canada). In her inaugural lecture, she will report on the challenges of the past year and provide an insight into current research achievements.

Concrete is the 21st century’s most important building material. At the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, it is being further developed and brought into a new era with the »StimuCrete« research project. With the help of innovative additives, the plan is to develop an intelligent concrete that is adaptable in both its fresh and solid states. This innovation aims to boost digital, automated construction and to increase the service life of buildings. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research will be funding the NanoMatFutur research group, led by Luise Göbel, Junior Professor of »Werkstoffmechanik« at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, with nearly 1.9 million euros until 2028.

Die emeritierte Professorin der Freien Kunst, Barbara Nemitz, wird von der Stiftung Kunstfonds bei der Sicherung ihres künstlerischen Werkes unterstützt. Insgesamt 25.000 Euro aus dem »KUNSTFONDS_Werkverzeichnung« stehen zur Verfügung, um ein digitales Werkverzeichnis zu erstellen.

The »Gewohnter Wandel. Gesellschaftliche Transformation und räumliche Materialisierung des Wohnens« joint research training group from the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and the Goethe-Universität Frankfurt began their work on 1 October 2024. The research training group will be presenting itself during the winter semester to the public in a lecture series providing insights into current international housing research.

The rural Thuringian Forest is facing major challenges in managing the current social and ecological crises. But impending change provides opportunities. To identify these, many of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar’s Institute for European Urban Studies (IfEU) planning projects from October 2024 to July 2025 are focussing on the Thuringian Mittelgebirge, an area rich in tradition. Under the title »Räume in Transformation Thüringen« (RiTT), students from the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism are working closely with local partners to develop ideas on how sustainable and geographically equitable development in the region could succeed.

The head of »Experimental Radio« at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is publishing a new kind of website in the form of a »Transcultural Listening Map«. The Map makes the interactive exploration of international projects based on cultural techniques of hearing and listening to radio possible. Artists and researchers are invited to participate by adding their own projects to the platform.

Spätestens nach dem Einsturz der Carolabrücke in Dresden wird deutlich: Deutschlands Brücken sind in einem kritischen Zustand und müssen engmaschig überwacht werden, um ein weiteres Spontanversagen zu verhindern. Nach aktuellen Schätzungen sind rund 4.000 Brücken marode. Doch wie schnell kann saniert werden? Der MDR und das Wissensmagazin Nano von 3sat haben sich mit dem Thema befasst und dazu unter anderem Alexander Stanic von der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar befragt.

Am Donnerstag, den 5. September 2024 wurde der Prototyp einer innovativen Fassadenbegrünung mit integrierter Grauwasserreinigung und Solarmodulen an einem Laborgebäude der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar öffentlich präsentiert. Der Versuchsstand entstand im Rahmen des Projektes »Vertikale Klima-Klär-Anlage« (kurz: VertiKKA) und wird in den kommenden Monaten unter realen Bedingungen an der Fassade des b.is-Technikum in der Coudraystraße 10 getestet.

Professor Jan Willmann and Junior Professor Lars Abrahamczyk have successfully applied for one of nine fellowships from the Stifterverband and the Thuringian Ministry of Economics with their project »Robotic Tectonics – Robot-based teaching and learning environment for automated construction processes« (RoboTec). Around 50,000 euros are now available for an interdisciplinary teaching format designed to teach students how to use robotic arms in practice. The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar has already benefited several times from the funding for innovations in digital university teaching in Thuringia in order to develop new teaching projects.