Astrid Wuttke appointed to the University of Siegen

Our partner Astrid Wuttke has been appointed to the University of Siegen starting in the summer semester 2025. As Professor for Transformation and Design she will be teaching and researching on the challenge of transforming buildings. ‘‘For me, building transformation always means building within, and with the existing building stock, but also building anew within a specific context. I hope to teach people to treat existing building stock with respect and with courage, while recognising its potential. The aim is to develop intelligent and distinctively individual and independent responses, in which perceived disadvantages become positive qualities. But I also want students to question whether – and if so how – we can continue to build these days, and how we should, if not must, continue to build in the future.”

The debate about existing building fabric and its transformation is becoming crucially important, both in terms of our cultural heritage, and sustainability. Accordingly, the focus for architects today lies in converting existing buildings and adapting them to changing requirements, with the aim of producing future-proof, sustainable development. Furthermore, current building standards need to be scrutinised with a view to producing simple, affordable, yet durable and beautiful solutions.