Weimar bids to become location for »New European Bauhaus«
The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar has responded to the European Union’s call for bids for the »New European Bauhaus«. In order to apply to become one of the five locations, an interdisciplinary team will be formulating a cross-university approach in early 2021 and expand it into a concept made up of a broad range of content together with a number of partners from Thuringia, Germany, and around the world.
In October of 2020, Ursula von der Leyen issued a call for a New European Bauhaus in a guest article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Newspaper. In the article, von der Leyen describes the current global challenges and the need for a new movement aimed towards creating more sustainable cities and more worthwhile living. She also states that the so-called »Green Deal« initiated for this movement must also be a cultural project for Europe. She cites the historic Bauhaus as a source of inspiration in that it brought together art, craft and technology a hundred years ago. And that’s what it’s still about today: In light of the global challenge of climate change, the question is how can we shape the future together through the interaction of technology, science, art and design?
The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar represents the Bauhaus tradition and is at the same time aware of its responsibility in the present. It is for these reasons that the university sees itself as one of the planned five locations for the New European Bauhaus and will submit a bid. The content of the concept incorporates all of the faculties at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.
Prof. Dr. Winfried Speitkamp, President of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, emphasises the common intention of all university departments regarding the application for the project: »Here at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, we combine shaping the future with a living cultural heritage. Research and teaching, engineering, architecture and urban planning, art and design, computer science, social sciences and economics, as well as the humanities and cultural studies work closely together here to develop and implement new ideas and concepts for sustainability and creating a desirable environment to live in. All of the faculties are united in the question of how society and the environment are changing as a result of modern technology. What does the relationship between humans, the environment and technology need to look like in the future? How can we live together today and in the future? And how do we want to live together?«
The different departments at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar are already hard at work addressing the pressing issues society is currently facing and the questions that accompany these issues. These questions are consolidated and rethought in the application for the project. The focus ranges from sustainable construction and new mobility concepts to urban planning and landscape design to future housing issues and social justice policies. Digitalisation will also play a central role in the search for solutions.
Students will be closely involved in the project from the very beginning, through aspects like teaching, research and transfer. The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar hones the interdisciplinary and international ideas and actions that will shape our future.
However, the project also intends to take perspectives from »outside of the box« into account; the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is surrounded by an impressive network in Thuringia, Germany, Europe and around the world. This network will allow the university’s numerous partner institutions to lend their expertise and perspectives to future projects.
By mid-2021, the university will develop a concept that will be submitted to the European Commission as an application to become one of the five locations for the New European Bauhaus. »The Commission President’s initiative has electrified all of us«, summarises Prof. Speitkamp. »Not only does this project align perfectly with our profile, it also draws upon our expertise in student education and explicitly calls upon us to address relevant current issues. We are ready to take on this challenge and shape a shared future together. A New European Bauhaus Weimar is exactly the right context for this«.
For further information, please contact the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar’s President’s Office via e-mail to praesident@uni-weimar.de.