Architecture students developed a roof for the community of Rippershausen in the rural district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen that serves as a connecting element between the village and its outdoor swimming pool. They reinterpreted the half-timbering specific to the Thuringian region in the colonnaded roof. The 42-metre colonnade, which was created during two construction phases, serves as a permanent centre, meeting place and venue for events in addition to as a spacious entrance area, kiosk and source of shade for the local outdoor swimming pool.

The project demonstrates how the few resources available in rural areas can be used to foster intergenerational cohesion, create a cultural and sports centre, and develop a vision for areas that are today characterised by migration. It not only highlights the students’ creative potential, but also the contribution of the professorship to the promotion of innovative, community-oriented construction projects.

The jury particularly appreciated the sensitisation of the construction industry to recyclable construction methods using renewable raw materials, the shortened of transport routes and the reinforcement of local economic cycles.

About the Thuringian environmental awards

It is becoming increasingly important to protect and conserve the natural livelihoods of present and future generations. A way of life and economic processes that conserve natural resources are needed for this. In order to draw attention to exemplary activities that encourage imitation and pursue the idea of environmental protection in Thuringia in an outstanding manner, the Thuringian Ministry of Environment, Energy and Nature Conservation confers the Thuringian environmental awards every year.

The Thuringian environmental awards are being conferred for the seventh time in 2023 and are endowed with a total of 10,000 euros as well as a special prize of 4,000 euros financed by the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe Hessen-Thüringen. This year’s motto is »Ressourcen teilen« [»Sharing resources«]. Individuals and groups, companies, clubs and associations, citizens’ initiatives, municipalities and municipal partnerships from Thuringia are eligible to participate.

More information on the Thuringian environmental awards:
www.thueringer-umweltpreis.de

About the design-build projects of the Junior Professorship for Constructive Design & Experimentation

The Junior Professorship for Constructive Design & Experimentation focuses on practical experience and communal involvement and takes an interdisciplinary approach. In design-build projects, all phases in the realisation of a building, from the conceptual development to the design and execution, are coordinated centrally. Students’ ideas are therefore actually implemented on a 1:1 scale.

The student design-build projects of the junior professorship headed by interim professor Dr.-Ing. Stephan Schütz range from temporary objects on the university campus to buildings used permanently for public institutions. Special emphasis is placed on sustainable construction methods and the use of renewable raw materials, with a focus on combining practical design work with social commitment.

In case of questions, please contact Gabriela Oroz, Faculty Marketing Officer, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Studies (gabriela.oroz[at]uni-weimar.de; +49 36 43 / 58 31 15).