The workshop aims to identify and analyse the main technical and political challenges in construction waste management and to develop innovative solutions and sustainable recycling concepts for urban reconstruction in Syria. »In contrast to many other regions in the world, the future in Syria currently seems more hopeful than in the past. The optimism that comes from this lets us think about a sustainable reconstruction of the country, from which we have hosted and continue to host numerous colleagues and students in Weimar«, explains Prof. Tom Lahmer, Dean of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. 

Prof. Dr. Aref Al-Swaidani, a renowned expert on construction material recycling, also spent time in Weimar as a guest researcher. The Arab International University professor fled the war in Syria in 2022 and has been working as a visiting professor at the »IAB-Institut für angewandte Bauforschung Weimar« in Weimar since January 2025. He sees the opportunities for Syria and a sustainable reconstruction through industry networking and exchanging knowledge about the circular economy, recycling plants, and processing secondary raw materials. »It’s neither possible nor does it make sense to treat construction waste as waste and to dispose of it in landfills. It needs to be seen as an important resource that should be reintegrated into manufacturing construction cycles«, explains Prof. Al-Swaidani. 

Recycling and Reconstruction: 
Construction Methods and Materials in Post-War Syria
Workshop with International Contributions
24 and 25 April 2025
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

The workshop is organised by the »Landesentwicklungsgesellschaft (LEG)« and the »Innovationszentrum Bau - Weimar«, a Bauhaus-Universität Weimar association with the Materials Research and Testing Laboratory (MFPA) Weimar and the »IAB-Institut für angewandte Bauforschung Weimar« (IAB). The goal of the »Innovationszentrum Bau - Weimar« is to research and develop new products, processes, and technologies that prioritise the needs of people in the built environment and revolutionise the construction industry. 

The network meeting in Weimar is a kick-off event for a science conference, which is scheduled to take place in Syria at the end of 2025. The workshop is sponsored by international partners and other major participants, such as the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD), the International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment (iiSBE), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the UN-Habitat.

Further information on the programme and registration can be found at: www.iab-weimar.de/rebuildsyria