If you want to change the world for the better, you have a long and difficult road ahead of you– especially when it comes to the challenges posed by climate change. This highlights the importance of celebrating the milestones that have already been reached: At the end of January 2022, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar submitted it application for the European Commission’s New European Bauhaus. The EU initiative aims to promote sustainable, aesthetically pleasing and inclusive ideas for climate neutral lifestyles and economies. The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar has applied for a position as one of five pilot projects set to start in 2023.

Bauhausstraße 11 has been home to teaching, research and administration for the Faculty of Media since 1997. Starting in March 2022, an extensive renovation and modernisation project will begin under the management of the property owner, Kassenärztlichen Vereinigung Thüringen (KVT). During the approximately three-year renovation phase, much of the Faculty of Media will be relocated to Schwanseestraße 143.

The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is an international university — peace and respect for international law are prerequisites for unrestricted, creative research and teaching together with partner universities and cooperation partners around the world. The university’s Presidium stated: »We stand together in absolute solidarity with our Ukrainian neighbours in Europe and with our colleagues in academia there. We strongly condemn the Russian attack on Ukraine and appeal to Russia to stop the war immediately.«

Das Jahr 2021 war für die Bibliothek der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar von einem Umbau geprägt. Von Ende Februar bis Ende April wurde der Bereich der früheren Ausleihtheke vollständig umgestaltet. Im Hinblick auf die Verbuchung und Sicherung wurde der Medienbestand auf RFID-Technik umgestellt, was die Voraussetzung für die Einführung der Selbstverbuchung war. Von Mitte Januar bis Mitte März wurden von einem externen Dienstleister insgesamt knapp 160.000 Medien im Freihand-Bestand der Bibliothek mit RFID-Etiketten ausgestattet.

Ziel des Forschungsvorhabens ist die Gestaltung eines klimaneutralen Campus der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Im Rahmen des virtuellen Rundgangs werden Potenziale zur Emissionsreduzierung veranschaulicht. Die Idee entstand aus einer Kooperation zwischen den Professuren Bauphysik und Siedlungswasserwirtschaft im Rahmen des Projektes »360° Bildung« Interessierte können sich ab sofort auf der Plattform www.360-degree.education umsehen.

The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar will open its campus digitally for this year’s Open Campus Day (HIT) on Saturday, 5 March 2022 from 10 am to 3 pm. Prospective students are invited to discover what studying in Weimar is all about.

University President Professor Speitkamp bid farewell to his colleagues and the students of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar with a reception at the Bauhaus.Atelier on Thursday, 17 February 2022. The afternoon event, organised in compliance with corona regulations, brought together many members of the university who had not seen one another in a long time. Guests visibly enjoyed the in-person event and used the time to chat and say goodbye to Professor Speitkamp. They reflected together on what the President had achieved and wished him all the best in his new position as State Secretary in the Ministry of Education. He will take office on Tuesday, 22 February 2022.

Prof. Dr. Winfried Speitkamp, President of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, has been asked by Thuringia’s Minister President Bodo Ramelow and Minister of Education Helmut Holter to take up the position of State Secretary in the Thuringian Ministerium für Bildung, Jugend und Sport. Prof. Speitkamp has accepted this offer and will take on this high-ranking position starting on 22 February 2022.

The online exhibition platform for »go4spring« begins on Thursday 10 February at 5 pm. Due to the pandemic, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar’s Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism is once again showing student work from the winter semester 2021/2022 in digital format.

Approximately 480 tonnes of waste end up of the streets of Khulna, the largest city in the densely populated Ganges Delta, every day. This waste includes huge quantities of plastic, which then makes it way into the ocean via the adjacent waterways. If nothing is done to stop this, ocean contamination will continue to increase. The goal of this joint project is to establish a sustainable waste management system in Khulna to reduce plastic pollution and to protect marine ecosystems. The project, which is being funded with nearly four million euros, will be implemented under the leadership of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar until 2024.

On 3–5 March 2022, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and ETH Zurich will host a joint conference to explore the legacy of postmodern architecture and urbanism dating from the 1970s to the 1990s. The conference aims to engage in a scholarly examination of architectural and historical research on this topic and to discuss the monument-preserving approach to the testimonies of postmodernism as well as their further development.

In the session on Tuesday, 25 January 2022, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar University Council elected a new chair: Dr. Thomas Rabe, chair and CEO of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, Gütersloh, is, effective immediately, chair of the Council.

Im interdisziplinären Projekt »Das Wesen der Stadt« begeben sich Studierende der Architektur, Urbanistik und Kunst auf eine Spurensuche, um ihre Stadt empirisch zu erforschen. Hierfür werden bis 15. März 2022 zahlreiche Interviewpartner und -partnerinnen in Weimar gesucht, die ihre Wahrnehmungen in das Projekt einbringen möchten.

The Thuringia Alliance, which the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar belongs to, is currently presenting an interactive exhibit that examines visionary ideas for environmentally friendly neighbourhoods. Interested visitors are invited to explore the exhibition in the German Pavilion until 31 March 2022.

Picking up where he left off, Prof. Diébédo Francis Kéré provided inspiring insights into his work during his second visit to the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, this time with a focus on participatory architecture. In an experimental workshop format on Wednesday 19 January 2022, which Prof. Kéré led together with Dipl.-Ing. Julia Heinemann, scientific staff member in the Building Morphology Department, architecture students were given the opportunity to engage with the concept of participatory processes and develop daring design ideas.

On two following weekends in February, students of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar will give an insight into their work from this winter semester: From 4 to 6 February 2022, the student-organised »Winterwerkschau« will present projects from various disciplines. From 10 February 2022, the semester results from the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism will be on display as part of the »go4spring«. Due to the pandemic, the students are largely using online formats to present their work.

Following the immense success of his inaugural lecture in November, Bauhaus-Guest Professor Diébédo Francis Kéré, together with Bauhaus-Universität Weimar students, will be focussing in depth on the topic of »Participatory Architecture« this January.

Urban planner and architect Dr.-Ing. Dorothee Rummel was appointed junior professor for »Stadt Raum Entwerfen« on 6 January 2022. Prior to her appointment, she worked for eleven years as a scientific staff member at the department of Sustainable Urbanism within the Department of Architecture at the Technical University of Munich.