BAUHAUS.INSIGHTS: Professor Lahmer, why do we need a »PLAN B«?
In a few short days, summaery2024, the annual exhibition at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, will begin. Traditionally, the role of organiser rotates between the four faculties. As this year is its anniversary year, the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering was responsible for the theme and design of summaery. PLAN B can now be seen in big bold letters on posters across the city centre. We are interested in the thoughts behind these five letters. And what visitors to summaery2024 can expect from the four-day event beginning on 11 July. For our BAUHAUS.INSIGHTS series, we asked Prof. Dr. Tom Lahmer, Dean of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, about just that.
Prof. Lahmer, it’s never wise to have only one option to rely on, and it’s good to have a »plan b in your back pocket«. But this year’s PLAN B theme obviously refers to more than this alone. What made you choose this theme?
PLAN B was one of several suggestions for the theme of this year’s summaery, which was organised by our Faculty. The theme was chosen in an internal faculty vote – and not just because it is a nice play on words. Plan B means to think outside of the box. It refers to shaking things up. It means considering alternatives, developing them, testing them out, and, if necessary, putting them to use. This is our goal, our responsibility and our motivation, especially in the face of climate change, environmental pollution and resource scarcity. Our current lifestyle, which includes our methods of construction, is simply not sustainable and we urgently need a PLAN B.
The Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering has evolved fundamentally over the past 70 years and is responding to pressing modern demands. What role does the PLAN B theme play in this context?
The challenges society is facing at the moment are significant. We have been letting things slide for far too long, focussing only on financial profit and economic growth. We’ve been pursuing outdated technologies, like generating electricity from coal, for much too long. This dilemma has resulted in a warming planet, the loss of livelihoods and the threat of natural disasters. PLAN B means building a better future that is as sustainable as possible. Numerous sectors hav already made significant progress, especially in terms of sustainability, and I would consider Germany’s manufacturing industry among them. The construction industry, however, is lagging behind. And this means not just the construction itself, but everything associated with it: the operations, usage, and, in some cases, the recycling of materials. The political commitment, unlike in other sectors such as mobility, appears to be there; it’s up to us now to develop and provide the technologies and concepts.
What are this year’s highlights and events that visitors can expect from the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering?
summaery will kick off as usual in the traditional way on Thursday in front of the Main Building before it moves on to the unique combination of exhibition and end-of-semester celebration. Members from all of the faculties come together in conversation: students, staff and professors. Coudraystraße will be closed off to traffic on Friday afternoon, something new and unique. One of the roads will be made into the ScienceMile, an open and accessible »Open Lab«, full of exciting events for young and old. We will be demonstrating how liveable, student- and research-friendly a space can become if vehicle traffic in the city centre is reduced. We are also inviting the Weimar public to come and learn about engineering first hand from the Bauhaus-Universität thorough our colourful programme of science, games and culture...
What are you most looking forward to in the four-day event? And what are your personal summaery recommendations?
summaery is the highlight of every academic year and a wonderful way to end the semester. The fact that we are at this point and can proudly look back on what we’ve achieved, designed and developed is a highlight in itself. The exchanges held during the event are unique. The exhibition areas in and outside of our buildings are all worth a visit at any time of day or evening. As always, the exhibitions are located around Geschwister-Scholl-Straße in the Main Building, but this year, they are also in Schwanseestraße and Coudraystraße. This means that the entire university involved and can be experienced in different locations. I can’t give any specific recommendations, but if you drop by any of the locations on any of the days, I promise that you won’t be disappointed!
Prof. Lahmer, thank you for the discussion and we’ll see you at summaery!
The complete summaery2024 programme can be found at: www.uni-weimar.de/summaery
The BAUHAUS.INSIGHTS questions on this year’s theme and the organisation by the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering were asked by Claudia Weinreich.