Construction work has been underway at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering for months now. Access to the lecture hall building and the dean’s office is being improved, Coudraystraße 7 is being renovated and a new laboratory building is being built at Coudraystraße 13. In 2026, the Coudray Campus will once again be a lively »Science Mile«, but until then, the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering and affiliated Materials Research and Testing Institute (MFPA) in Weimar are trying something new for the »summaery2025«:

The »Straw Bale Tower LAB« – a two-storey experimental structure made from load-bearing straw bales at a site exposed to the wind and weather on the outskirts of Weimar – will open at Niedergrunstedter Weg 12 for the first time at noon on Friday 11 July. The participating experts will provide fascinating insights here into construction using straw and various measuring techniques. The accompanying exhibition will focus on renewable materials and alternative construction methods. Besides clay, wood and bamboo, energy-optimised façade systems and innovative brick systems will also be presented. According to the motto of »Careful, it’s cracking – the soil shows what it holds«, geotechnical engineers and construction material engineers will explain why heat damages roads and how this can be prevented.