Semester overview

Appointments

• Di 13:45 - 15:30, A/B week, 28.04.2026 to 14.07.2026
• Mi 09:00 - 11:00, Einzel, at 08.04.2026, Anbau LG 2C / 100,

  Einführungsveranstaltung zum SoSe 2026

• Mi 13:30 - 15:30, Einzel, at 20.05.2026, Lehrgebäude 2A / AU.21
• Mi 13:45 - 15:30, Einzel, at 24.06.2026, Lehrgebäude 2A / A0.25.1
• Do 09:00 - 17:00, Einzel, at 16.04.2026, Zw. Bau LG 2C/2D / 229/230,

  Klausurtagung IBK, Ansprechpartnerin: Harriet Trenkmann

• Do 13:00 - 15:00, Einzel, at 09.04.2026, Lehrgebäude 2A / A0.03
• Fr 09:00 - 19:00, Einzel, at 03.07.2026, Zw. Bau LG 2C/2D / 229/230,

  Veranstaltung Baugeschichte, Ansprechpartnerin: Harriet Trenkmann

• Sa 09:00 - 14:00, Einzel, at 04.07.2026, Zw. Bau LG 2C/2D / 229/230,

  Veranstaltung Baugeschichte, Ansprechpartnerin: Harriet Trenkmann

Study path

Bau- und Kunstgeschichte Bachelor / Examination regulations 2022

Appointment

Mi 13:45 - 17:00, A/B week, 15.04.2026 to 22.07.2026, Lehrgebäude 2C / 315

Study paths

• Klimagerechtes Bauen Master / Examination regulations 2018
• Bau- und Kunstgeschichte Bachelor / Examination regulations 2022
• Architektur Master / Examination regulations 2022
• Stadt- und Regionalplanung / Examination regulations 2023

Course content

Methoden des Erhalts

Im fortschreitenden Anthropozän werden Erhaltungskompetenzen zu einem zentralen Skillset der Menschheit werden. Parallel zur geforderten Bauwende geraten „Abriss und Neubau“ – zumindest in der akademischen Debatte – verstärkt in die Kritik, während zentrale Konzepte der

Denkmal- und Bestandspflege wie Instandhaltung, Reparatur und Umnutzung als Schlüssel für eine ressourcen- und klimaschonende Baupraxis an Bedeutung gewinnen. Zugleich prägt die ökologische Wende im Bausektor die Denkmal- und Bestandspflege neu. Im Vordergrund steht nicht mehr das objektfixierte Bewahren des Alten, sondern ein aktives, vorausschauendes Handeln, das den breiteren Bestand, zukünftige Klimaeinwirkungen, Stoffkreisläufe und einen ressourcenschonenden Umgang mit Lebensräumen in den Blick nimmt.

In dem Seminar „Methoden des Erhalts“ werden wir uns den grundlegenden Methoden des Erhalts in der Denkmal- und Bestandspflege widmen, entsprechende Akteur*innen kennenlernen und Fragen nach neuen interdisziplinären Ansätzen stellen, die mit Zirkularität, Resilienz und Zukunftsfähigkeit verbunden sind. Anhand von Vorträgen aus der Praxis, einer Exkursion nach Berlin und einem Praxisworkshop im Thüringer Wald (2. bis 7. Juni 2026) lernen die Teilnehmenden ein breites Spektrum der Methoden des Erhalts in der Denkmal- und Bestandspflege kennen. Die unterschiedlichen Ansätze werden vorgestellt, gemeinsam diskutiert und ausgewertet. Im Zentrum des Seminars steht der Praxisworkshop. Unter dem Titel „Dokumentieren, Reparieren, Umnutzen“ arbeiten Studierende unter fachlicher Anleitung direkt am Denkmal und tragen damit zum Erhalt und sozialökologischen Transformation eines 320 Jahre alten Fachwerkhauses im thüringischen Schwarzatal bei.

Details zum Ablauf, Literaturhinweise und Unterrichtsmaterialien werden in der Veranstaltung bekannt gegeben.

Die Prüfungsform ist das Continuous Assessment (MCA). Die hierfür geforderten Teilleistungen werden in der ersten Seminarsitzung besprochen.

Appointment

Do 13:45 - 17:00, A/B week, 23.04.2026 to 23.07.2026, Lehrgebäude 2B / BU.11

Study paths

• Architektur Master / Examination regulations 2022
• World Heritage Studies Master / Examination regulations 2008
• Heritage Conservation and Site Management Master / Examination regulations 2015
• Architektur Master / Examination regulations 2016
• Stadt- u. Regionalplanung Master / Examination regulations 2017

Course content

Preventing the loss of buildings as historical documents, as bearers of meaning and memory and as expressions of identity is considered the raison d’être and core task of architectural conservation. Ultimately, however, loss is inevitable: the natural law of entropy dictates that all structures must dissolve into disorder and eventually disappear. This would seem to rob our work of any purpose; yet it is also true that the very transience of all things is what makes them valuable and worth preserving in the first place. It is this constant tension between permanence and transience, between the urge to hold on and the necessity of letting go, that is the driving force behind all conservation efforts.

The relationship of conservation to time and transience is therefore complex and inherently contradictory. In this study project we will examine this relationship in detail, including its theoretical foundations and its practical implications for dealing with the built environment. Three related yet distinct phenomena through which we become conscious of the transience of architecture will structure our discussions: decay, destruction and demolition. Through selected readings, exercises and short excursions, we will explore questions such as the following: What is the meaning of transience and loss, and what is their value? How do we experience them, and how do they affect us? How does architectural conservation understand and deal with them?

Evaluation:

• oral presentation and/or several short written, oral and practical assignments
• in-depth exploration of a topic from the seminar in the form of a portfolio

Literature

Selected Literature:

DeSilvey, Caitlin. Curated Decay: Heritage Beyond Saving. Minneapolis MN 2017.

DeSilvey, Caitlin, and Rodney Harrison. “Anticipating Loss: Rethinking endangerment in heritage futures”, in International Journal of Heritage Studies 26 / 1 (2020), pp. 1-7.

Edensor, Tim. Industrial Ruins. Spaces, aesthetics, and materiality. Oxford 2005.

Eggert, Paul. “The New Ruskinians and the New Aesthetes”, in Idem., Securing the Past: Conservation in Art, Architecture and Literature (Cambridge 2009), pp. 41-60.

Harrison, Rodney. “Forgetting to remember, remembering to forget: late modern heritage practices, sustainability and the ‘crisis‘ of accumulation of the past“, in International Journal of Heritage Studies 19 / 6 (2013), pp. 579-595.

Harvey, David C. "Heritage Pasts and Heritage Presents: Temporality, Meaning and the Scope of Heritage Studies", in Cultural Heritage: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies. Vol. 1: History and Concepts, ed. Laurajane Smith (London and New York 2006), pp. 25-44.

Holtorf, Cornelius. “Averting loss aversion in cultural heritage“, in International Journal of Heritage Studies 21 / 4 (2015), pp. 405-421.

Holtorf, Cornelius. “On Pastness: A Reconsideration of Materiality in Archaeological Object Authenticity”, in Anthropological Quarterly 86 / 2 (Spring 2013), pp. 427-443.

Lowenthal, David. "Value of Age and Decay", in Durability and Change: The Science, Responsibility, and Cast of Sustaining Cultural Heritage, ed. Wolfgang E. Krumbein et al. (Chichester 1994), pp. 39-49.

Macaulay, Rose. Pleasure of Ruins. London 1953.

Pétursdóttir, Thora. "Concrete Matters: Ruins of Modernity and the Things Called Heritage", Journal of Social Archaeology 13 / 1 (2013), pp. 31-53.

Reckwitz, Andreas. Loss: A modern predicament. Berlin 2024.

Appointments

• Do 10:00 - 13:00, Einzel, at 28.05.2026, Venue: LG 2B, R 0.12
• Do 10:00 - 13:00, Einzel, at 14.05.2026, Venue: LG 2B, R 0.12
• Do 10:00 - 13:00, Einzel, at 11.06.2026, Venue: LG 2B, R 0.12
• Do 10:00 - 13:00, Einzel, at 30.04.2026, Venue: LG 2B, R 0.12
• Do 10:00 - 13:00, Einzel, at 02.07.2026, Venue: LG 2B, R 0.12
• Do 10:00 - 13:00, Einzel, at 23.07.2026, Venue: LG 2B, R 0.12

Study path

Heritage Studies PhD / Examination regulations 2017

Course content

Participants will reflect critically on cultural and social-scientific theories and methods in heritage studies, as these apply to their own and each other‘s doctoral research. The seminar is structured around reports on the participants‘ individual progress on their dissertations and aims at fostering interdisciplinary exchange as well as discussion of common challenges in research and writing.
Venue: LG 2B, R 0.12

Appointment

Di 13:45 - 17:00, A/B week, 21.04.2026 to 21.07.2026, Lehrgebäude 2B / B1.06

Study paths

• Heritage Conservation and Site Management Master / Examination regulations 2013
• Heritage Conservation and Site Management Master / Examination regulations 2015

Course content

This seminar explores the various challenges and opportunities of conserving heritage ruins and archaeological sites. On the one hand, the focus is laid on discourses around terms such as ruins, ruination, preservation, etc. in general as well as at specific sites. Additionally, students will examine the agents of deterioration that threaten the fabric and stability of these sites. The seminar will analyze a variety of preventive and protective measures to reduce damage to these sites. The role of the official and non-governmental institutions will be analyzed and discussed within the framework of planning and implementation processes. The seminar will examine the threats and opportunities associated with reconstructing monuments and heritage sites, using various examples.

These skills will then be applied to several case studies visited during the excursions. These excursions are planned and prepared during the seminar and constitute an essential part of it. Therefore, they are mandatory.

Study path

Heritage Studies PhD / Examination regulations 2017

Course content

Participants present their dissertation research and discuss it with fellow doctoral candidates and supervisor(s) at the Chair in Architectural Conservation.

Appointment

Mo 17:30 - 19:00, A/B week, 20.04.2026 to 20.07.2026, Lehrgebäude 2C / 313

Study paths

• Urban Design - Sust.Rev. MA (1. - 3. ) / Examination regulations 2024
• World Heritage Studies Master (1. - 3. ) / Examination regulations 2008

Course content

The class goes in depth to explore —at least— 8 different exemplary cities scattered across the MENA region, counting Shiraz, Dubai, Aleppo, Beirut, Cairo, Alexandria, Casablanca and Nouakchott.
Each lecture examines a city, starting with the 19^th century, when the urbanized space did not expand beyond the ‘Old town”. This examination includes the traditional built heritage forms that the city encompassed at the time.
 
The class goes then into the historic, political and social events that the city was going through, pausing at temporal periods and events that caused the emergence, alteration, or shift of urban spaces and architectural forms. These turning points included in some cases the Ottoman Tanzimat (reforms), colonialism, the rise of socialism or the insertion of mega developers.
 
Looking through the lens of a full city-scale and from all perspectives, social, political and historical, students will follow the story of how each of these cities developed physically and socially.
They will also learn that different built heritage forms, even ‘modern’ forms, are not simplistically confined with the creations of urban planners or architects.
 
Additionally, students will come to understand several aspects of the immaterial heritage of each city, whether it’s an imaginary division line, a tradition of keeping lush gardens, crafts, or social norms.
The students are expected
·        to obtain a firm grasp on the various forms of built heritage, and differentiate heritage forms, not only between different cities in the region, but within the city itself.
·        to comprehend the urban development history of different MENA cities, starting from the late 19^th century until the present day.
·        to learn about immaterial heritage and social issues of these cities, for example, post-conflict issues, social inequalities, ethno-religious components, and city division.
to learn and compare the urban legacies of Empires/colonial powers in the region.

Appointment

Mo 13:45 - 17:00, A/B week, 20.04.2026 to 13.07.2026, online

Study path

World Heritage Studies - Fernstudium (1. - 4. ) / Examination regulations 2021

Course content

This seminar explores the various challenges and opportunities of conserving heritage ruins and archaeological sites. After gaining an understanding of the different uses and (conflicting) values of these sites, students will then look at the agents of deterioration that threaten the fabric and stability of these sites. A variety of preventive measures and protective structures will be analysed that aim at lessening the damage to these sites. The interpretive planning process will also be discussed as well as the presentation of sites. These skills will then be applied for the analysis and assessment of a site chosen by each of the students.   
NB: Three of the above-mentioned dates are designed as mandatory synchronous online sessions, in which students will present their research.
 
The syllabus and bibliography can be consulted on moodle.
 

Study paths

• World Heritage Studies Master / Examination regulations 2008
• Heritage Conservation and Site Management Master / Examination regulations 2013
• Heritage Conservation and Site Management Master / Examination regulations 2015

Course content

Please refer to the module description for course content.