New developments

All building starts with human needs and intentions. What can be realised, however, is largely determined by the available building materials and manufacturing techniques. It is precisely in these areas that rapid developments are currently taking place. On the one hand, the ecological crisis and climate change are forcing the whole building practice in a sustainable and circular direction, on the other hand, the production of buildings is being revolutionised by 3D printers, 3D milling machines and robots.

These new production techniques are fuelling hopes for cheaper construction methods and a new freedom of design. Nature often forms an important source of inspiration, both for the production of new materials and more material-efficient construction. But traditional building materials such as wood and clay are also finding new applications and meeting with a deep longing for the natural.

However, these developments also raise fundamental questions. What consequences will they have for traditional craftsmanship, for example, and how will the role of the architect in the design process change? What value will human creativity and architectural design still have as an expression of cultural values? How will it still be possible, with less and less physical contact, to design in harmony with the specific nature of the building materials and is there not a danger that sensations of materiality, support and loads will disappear completely from the design?

We want to explore these questions on the basis of work reports by experts from research, design and production practice. The workshops will focus on experiencing material qualities and constructive forces and learning to use them as sources of design. In the background is the question of whether a new paradigm is currently emerging in architecture and which aspects should be integrated into it.

For the Visual Arts Section
Yaike Dunselmann, Markus Fischer, Pieter van der Ree