Research and Teaching

Research at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is multifaceted, international and interdisciplinary. The unique university profile arises in the Bauhaus tradition from the combination of technical, scientific and creative-artistic work. In addition to the main research areas of »Digital Engineering« and »Cultural Scientific Media Research«, there are other research fields such as »City, Architecture and Environment«, »Material and Construction« and »Art.Design.Science«, which play an essential and identity-affirming role.

As the name suggests, the research area »City, Architecture and Environment« has a special connection to the environment. The social challenges and profound changes affecting our environment today - demographic shift, mobility, globalisation, multiculturalism, scarcity of resources - necessitate new concepts for the urban and living space. In this research field, new methods, theories and technologies are comprehensively explored and tested. The spectrum ranges from urban research and appliedarchitectural research to research of theory and history to ecology, energy, climate and infrastructure research. The framework for the university’s cross institutional research activities is formed by research training groups, its own institutes as well as renowned symposia and conferences.

Another research focus with special reference to environmental topics is »Materials and Construction«. Construction and materials have always determined technological progress in our society. New developments in technology require availability of construction and materials with specific and custom properties. The development and application of construction materials taking into account energy-efficient and ecological aspects in basic research as well as applied research therefore form an important part of this ever-developing area of research.

In accordance with the »Guidelines for Transparency in Science and Research« of Thuringian universities, a publicly available annual report on all of the university‘s ongoing research projects has been being published since 2017.

The report includes all third-party funded research projects the were active in the previous year. The de minimis limit is 5,000 euros. Projects below this threshold are reported in the form of a summary. The indicated funding amounts refer to the approvals for the total duration of the respective project.

The following selection of projects provides exemplary insight into the multitude of environmentally relevant topics currently being worked on within the scope of research projects at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar starting in 2019. A database of all third-party funded projects at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar can be found on the website of the Thüringer Landespräsidentenkonferenz (TLPK; Thuringian state presidents’ conference).

The four faculties of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar offer degree programmes as well as individual lectures with seminars and student projects on environmental topics and ecological sustainability.

Undergraduate degree programmes with a focus on environment and ecological sustainability in the 2019 programme portfolio include the degree programmes »Bauingenieurwesen [Konstruktion Umwelt Baustoffe]« and »Urbanistik«. Regarding Master’s degree programmes, the »Bauphysik und energetische Gebäudeoptimierung«, »Umweltingenieurwissenschaften« and »Wasser und Umwelt« degree programmes must be mentioned.

In future, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar will also offer the Bachelor’s degree programme »Umweltingenieurwissenschaften«. The Master’s degree programme »European Urban Studies« also intends to hone its profile in the direction of the environment and sustainability. The subject area of environmental justice will be expanded with a postdoctoral position in »Spatial & Environmental Justice« within all urban studies degree programmes.

Teaching in the field of architecture will support and expand on the aforementioned thematic field with a new permanent position (80%/0.8 FTE) with the denomination »Praktiken der Nachhaltigkeit«. In addition, a postdoctoral position in the field of »Climate Integrated Architectural Design« will be filled.

The environment thematic is also to be expanded in the Faculty of Art and Design. Ideas for a new degree programme with a focus on sustainability called »Art Design Technology« are currently being discussed.

In the course of the 100th Bauhaus anniversary, a one-off »Bauhaus.Semester« took place in the 2019 summer semester. This offered numerous cross-faculty courses with a focus on environment and sustainability. The continuation of individual courses from this special semester – so-called »Bauhaus.Modules« – is also intended beyond 2019. Within the »Bauhaus. Semester« and the »Bauhaus.Modules«, the following environmental- and sustainability-related teaching formats were offered (Table 18). The cross-faculty overview is the first of its kind in this subject area at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and is to be expanded and supplemented in the coming years.

Also under discussion is the proposal to specifically label existing courses on the topics of environment, ecological sustainability, resources and resilience in the course catalogue. In this context, another consideration is to examine new degree programmes, or new degree programmes to be accredited, in terms of the visible extent to which they are committed to the subject of sustainability. Alternatively, the link between the modules and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the UN could be identified and evaluated.