During the BauNetz Campus Summer School in 2023, Kerstin Kunekath interviewed us about the architectural movements within future generations of planners and aspiring architects. The discussion covered interdisciplinarity, democracy, sustainability and personal perspectives. ARCHITEKTUR ALS ZWEITSPRACHE (Architecture as a second language) is a podcast format, where people speak about tendencies and trends in the construction industry.

Our focus is on the transformation of architecture at universities, as well as social, ecological, and economic sustainability. We come from different backgrounds and hold different opinions, but share similar interests. We aim to clarify what students actually need at their universities, and to highlight that the construction. 

21.11.2023

Jan Kampshoff was a professor of the DE/CO at the Technical University of Berlin, well known for his unique and radical way of understanding and interpreting architecture. In the documentation video of the BauNetz Summer School 2023, he explains how the building transition can be advanced, what ideas are being developed at the university, and why we need to change the way we understand work in general. 

In my report for BauNetz, I take a closer look at the activities. We initiated four intervention projects that support circular construction or draw attention to the power of existing building stock. 

We were not only supervised and inspired by architect Margit Sichrovsky from LSXY, who presented us her design for the Impact Hub in the CRCLR House in Berlin Neukölln, but also by Studio Genua, Hütten und Paläste and Muck Petzet, who were on site to introduce the students progressive approaches for thinking about contemporary architecture.

11.10.2023

Architecture in the Age of Transformation illustrates current changes in architecture in light of climate change and the need for holistic responsibility. Our time is marked by profound changes that affect nearly every aspect of our lives. As one of the main contributors to CO₂ emissions, the construction industry is increasingly responsible for rethinking existing practices to make them fit for the future. It challenges architects and planners to extend their vision beyond familiar disciplinary boundaries and see the built environment as inseparable from ecological systems.

Actor–Network Theory holds that everything that exists is interconnected, leading to the concept of “Environmental Architecture,” which aims to meet the demands of holistic responsibility—going beyond not only established boundaries but also its own limits. 

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30.03.2023

Last semester, we observed a fellow student working on vertical farming, which became the inspiration for a redesign project for the Cologne University of Applied Sciences.

The concept is intended solely as a way to regenerate sealed surfaces and responds to the question: How do we want to shape sustainability in teaching and learning at the university?

The TH Köln main building serves as an exemplary model for other institutions, most of which also still fall short of meeting current ecological requirements.

Comprehensive green roofing combined with photovoltaic elements would be sufficient to reduce the university’s ecological footprint.

In addition, the in-between spaces, currently unused and undefined, offer interesting opportunities for greening the campus. Practices such as self-sufficiency initiatives and urban farming would be well suited for this purpose.

02.12.2022

The Cologne University of Applied Sciences offers a module called Resource-Efficient Construction, which focused on developing a load-bearing and approval-compliant block made from differently compacted hempcrete.

Hempcrete is a material with highly sought-after properties: the hurd of the hemp plant—naturally pest-resistant and CO₂-negative—is processed into mulch either as a by-product or directly after harvest, and then bound with lime and water. With a U-value of 0.07 (given sufficient thickness), the material is suitable for insulation and building envelopes. The indoor climate and scent are similar to that of wood, although its appearance takes some getting used to.

Under the supervision of Architects4future co-founder Jonathan Lunkenheimer, we built a demo-facade out of our developed hempcrete-blocks.

28.09.2022

As part of the Architectural Sciences course at the TH Köln, a residential building from the 17th century was surveyed and drawn. The property is a well-preserved Winkelhofanlage (courtyard complex with buildings arranged at right angles). It is located in Rurberg (Eifel), about 40 km southeast of Aachen, and consists of a residential house, a barn, and an inner courtyard.

In the area surrounding Rurberg, archaeological finds such as ceramics from the period of Roman settlement have been discovered, though no written sources exist. The names Breuershof and Paulushof refer to medieval farmsteads whose original structures can no longer be traced.

The oldest surviving buildings in Rurberg, mostly situated on higher slopes, date from the 17th and 18th centuries. War memorials in Rurberg and the neighboring village of Woffelsbach, as well as remnants of military installations in the surrounding area, bear witness to the dark times of both World Wars.

13.08.2021

In the summer of 2021, ASIO was presented at TH Köln, a project calling for ideas to support international students. After conducting research, I was able to work with two fellow students to develop an “intelligent” dictionary designed to be available at all times for both incoming and outgoing students. The main focus was on presenting up-to-date innovations and materials from each year, in all languages.

By now, the project has taken on an entirely different scale. The digital realm has proven capable of creating a platform that updates itself: the idea has evolved into its own module at TH Köln, which can be taken by all students. In this way, an online dictionary—complete with images, illustrations, and vocabulary—continues to grow and be maintained, expanding into more and more languages.

13.02.2021

For first-year students at TH Köln, the excursion to Venice is always a mandatory experience. The city, renowned for its historic architecture and network of waterways, offered countless insights.

A key part of the trip was visiting the Biennale. The exhibition provided an opportunity to see and analyze works by architects from around the world. These analyses proved highly instructive, offering valuable perspectives on a range of architectural approaches.

The experiences gained during this trip were invaluable for both academic studies and future careers. The chance to put theory into practice while critically engaging with the work of other architects was an enriching and formative experience.

11.10.2019