Professorship

Central Interest

Central interest of the chair of Heritage Conservation & Architectural History is the significance and function of historic buildings and the history of building for the society of our time. It is not a matter of understanding the present solely as the result of a long history, but, on the contrary, of understanding our built environment in all its complexity and significance through an examination of its history.

Teaching fields

Both teaching fields deal with architecture from past epochs, but each has its own goals and research interests.

In architectural history, which examines buildings and building processes of the past, the knowledge process is at the same time the goal. The aim is to develop an understanding of the complex interplay of social, constructional and semantic mechanisms that have led - and continue to lead - to the formation of the respective building types, urban spaces and specific architectural solutions. Furthermore, the examination of the history of building trains the ability to reflect on contemporary architecture.

Heritage conservation, on the other hand, is concerned with the link between architecture and memory. It asks for the reasons why and how societies (want to) preserve certain buildings and ensembles. It is also responsible for developing preservation and communication strategies for the objects defined as monuments.

The aim of both teaching areas is to develop the students' competence in the field of building in existing fabric. This includes imparting both technical and methodological knowledge. How can we identify and develop the potential of buildings that are underestimated, disregarded or considered obsolete? How can existing buildings be treated in a sustainable manner that preserves their substance?

Research Interests

The research activities of the chair are also located in both disciplines. One of our main focuses is the study of contested, uncomfortable heritage. In addition to questions of architectural and planning history, we are interested in the relationship between architectural heritage and society, both on the theoretical level of reception of monument, memorial and remembrance cultures as well as on the level of the practical handling of substance.

In this context and beyond, we focus our research on the architectural heritage of the 20th century. In addition to urban planning aspects, we deal with the "early diagnosis" of potential monuments, i.e. the recognition and communication of heritage values, which are often (still) difficult to convey to the public, especially in the case of younger and youngest building stock.

Another interest lies on building research, especially related to historic construction materials and methods as well as their applicability for contemporary building.

Finally, being a history-oriented university chair, we are concerned with the history and theory of our own disciplines.

The chair of Heritage Conservation & Architectural History is member of the Bauhaus Institute for History and Theory of Architecture and Planning, the Institute for European Urban Studies, the International Heritage Centre and the Graduate Program Identity and Heritage.