Bauhaus Goes Leipzig: Students Design New Book Fair Stand
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.
The Leipzig Book Fair is a major public event. The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar has been a regular contributor for many years. For the University, it’s about more than literature: The Fair offers a platform to present the University as it is – creative, unconventional, responsible, and conscientious. Experimentation is explicitly encouraged. This spirit is something that is reflected in the creation process of the unique exhibition stand, which has been designed and built by students from various disciplines since 2009.
In the 2025/2026 winter semester, a group of international students experimented with space, structure, material, light, and staging. They focussed on ideas that could be implemented in a resource-friendly way and would be more than just an exhibition space; they wanted their stand to be readable, communicative, and experiential. The students received hands-on training in preparation: Together, the students tested lightweight, material-saving constructions in the forms of rods, folded structures, and membranes. Light artist Cornelia Erdmann supported the conceptual design of the stand. As part of an excursion to the Grassimesse in Leipzig, the group gained insights into various presentation formats. In mid-January, the student teams pitched their ideas, and Petter Bolstad's, Nina Siegle’s and Ngoc Truc Phuong Nguyen’s design was chosen.
Zero Waste Principle: An Exhibition Stand Made of Birch Plywood
The University will demonstrate through an innovative approach how, in 2026, material efficiency and design ambition can be combined: Using waterjet cutting technology, plywood panels are cut to make congruent frames for the exhibition stand and waste is minimised. Placed in a row, the elements form a curved spatial structure with optimal load-bearing capacity. The frames join together to form a striking arched wall for the stand and a seemingly floating, trapezoidal roof. One special feature of the construction is that it can be fully disassembled and each component can be reused multiple times, contributing directly to resource-friendly construction.
As part of the »Typotopie+« module, the design of the exhibition stand is currently being revised. It will then be built as a 1:2 scale prototype. The stand has been digitally constructed and transferred into the production process. The results can be seen from 19 to 22 March at the Leipzig exhibition grounds. The university will be presenting selected projects and research contributions related to sustainability at the Fair.
Typography – Writing. Structure. Scenography. At the Leipzig Book Fair
Leadership: Prof. Michael Herrmann (Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism and Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering), Torsten Müller (Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Participants: Petter Bolstad, Federico Busco, Pilar Fernández Pascual, Tabea Martha Frisch, Joao Gomes Baptista, EvaHecht, Martha Jansen, Felizitas Khuen-Belasi, Edna Agatha Klenk, Vincent Martin, Magdalena Meusert, Lisa Nghiem, Ngoc Truc Phuong Nguyen, Nina Siegle, Marko Tonins
The event was open to all Bachelor and Master students in the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Faculty of Art and Design, and the Faculty of Media as part of the Bauhaus.Module programme.
Further information can be found on the University website: https://www.uni-weimar.de/de/universitaet/aktuell/veranstaltungskalender/highlights-des-jahres/2026/buchmesse-2026/
Questions can be directed to Prof. Michael Herrmann, Professorship of Construction Design and Structural Design, via e-mail to michael.herrmann[at]uni-weimar.de, or by phone: +49 (0) 36 43/58 30 81.