Symposium "Duration and Transience. Reflections on the lifespan of buildings"
It is surprising that, especially in times when climate justice, CO₂ reduction and sustainability are highly relevant, the lifespan of buildings, as well as that of individual construction measures, tends to play a subordinate role in the current discourse. The Institute for Building Research and Conservation (IBB) wants to counteract this by focussing on this topic and making it the subject of a symposium.
In the midst of efforts to preserve existing buildings, and in some cases to adapt and retrofit them through remodelling, it is important to examine the underlying temporal concepts as a comparison between prognosis and reality. This is also linked to the examination of two traditional concepts of architecture, repairable and recyclable construction.
Building has always required an interdisciplinary approach - all the more so with the increasing demands of sustainability, where the different perspectives of the players often need to be familiarised with first. The symposium offers a platform for those working and researching in the fields of architecture, civil engineering, conservation and restoration as well as building conservation in general to promote inter- and transdisciplinary diversity and facilitate dialogue between the players.
The symposium will take place from 3 to 5 June 2024 ("Lunch-to-Lunch") at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences and is linked to a half-day excursion.
A Registration for the symposium is now possible. The programme is available for download.
You will also find detailed information on the individual days in the programme:
03/06/2024, 1.00 pm – 6.00 pm
Duration
Programme "Duration"
13:00 hrs | Welcome & greetings
- Welcome by the President of the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences Prof. Dr Eva Schmitt-Rodermund
- Greeting by Dipl.-Ing. Matthias Krebs, President of the Brandenburg Chamber of Engineers
- Greeting by Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Heinz Nagler, Brandenburg Building Culture Association
13:20 | Prof. Dr Markus Tubbesing/IBB
Introduction - Categories, dimensions and challenges
13:50 - 14:50 | Panel Duration - Session 1 and Discussion: Design and Building
Moderation: Prof. Dr Markus Tubbesing
- Prof. Dr Karl R. Kegler: Humanity of Permanence. On language, permanence and legibility
- Dr Simon Banakar: Expressive and adaptable: Designing robust structures
Break
15:30 - 17:30 | Panel Duration - Session 2 and Discussion: Building and Conservation
Moderated by Prof. Dr Jan Raue
- Dr Wanja Wedekind: The secret of eternity - why advanced civilisations survived in the desert, why Roman and Armenian buildings are still standing and what we can learn from them
- Prof. Dr Jörg Röder: Recurring maintenance requirements for the building envelope
- Dr Volker Thiele: Italy in Prussia. Why the Roman baths are not Potsdam baths
- Dipl.-Ing. Peter Füssenich: Cologne Cathedral - preserving the world cultural heritage and the work of the Cologne Cathedral Building Society
Aperitif
from 18:00 | Invitation to the celebratory event 20 years of the Master's degree course in Building Conservation and Construction in Existing Con texts, followed by a finale on the campus
with a celebratory lecture by Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Gerhard Eisele(see website for programme)
04/06/2024, 9.00 am – 6.00 pm
Transience
Programme "Transience"
09:00 - 10:30 | Panel Transience - Session 3 and discussion: Design and construction
Moderated by Prof. Dr.-Ing.
- Prof. Nicola Lepp: Materials without plural: Cultural studies perspectives on remnants (working title)
- Prof. Dr Rainer Schützeichel: Built for transience: On the temporary, the less permanent and "disposable architecture" in the 20th century
- Dr Boris Reyher: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Solutions for durable and recyclable building with concrete
Break
11:00 - 13:00 | Panel Transience - Session 4 and Discussion: Building and Conservation
Moderated by Prof. Dr.-Ing.
- Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Silke Straub-Beutin: DENK MAL Olympia swimming stadium - new construction as an option for preservation?
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sylvia Keßler: Reinforced concrete structures: Time bombs or durable marvels?
- Dr Ute Joksch: "since the plaster applied to the wooden cladding of the towers not yet two years ago has already completely fallen off again." Frederick William III on 21 June 1804: Problems and solutions for the sustainable restoration of surfaces on SPSG buildings
- Prof. Dr Günter Seidl: Extending the remaining useful life of a railway bridge
Lunch break
approx. 14:30 - 18:00 | Specialist excursion, offered by the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg
(up to 40 participants each, registration required)
- Roman Baths (Dr Volker Thiele; Dipl.-Ing. Heike Zeymer) or
- Church of Peace with Campanile (Dipl.-Ing. Frank Karalus, Dr Ute Joksch)
05/06/2024, 9.00 am – 1.00 pm
Perspectives
Programme "Perspectives"
09:00-11:00 a.m. | Panel perspectives and discussion
Moderated by Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Silke Straub-Beutin
- Prof. Dr.-Ing Klaus Pistol: A comparison of the durability and transience of concrete and clay. An experiment on the connection between world view and building material technology
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Prytula: Neighbourhood Life Cycle Assessment (Q-LCA). Analysing the environmental impact of infrastructures and buildings of different settlement structures in their life cycle
- Clara Jiva Schulte, M. Sc.: 100 years and then it's over?! A critical examination of the concept of technical service life in railway bridge construction
- Prof. Dr Jan Raue: Lifetime perspectives in conservation and restoration
Break
11:30 - 13:00 | Final discussion
Moderated by Prof. Dr Julia Glesner
- Dipl.-Ing. Ayhan Ayrilmaz (SPSG, Director of the Architecture Department and Vice President of the Berlin Chamber of Architects)
- Dr Ruth Klawun (Landesdenkmalamt Berlin, Head of the Department for the Preservation of Architectural and Artistic Monuments)
- Dipl.-Ing. Matthias Krebs (President of the Brandenburg Chamber of Engineers)
- Dr Tino Mager (President of the German National Committee of ICOMOS e.V.)
- Prof. Dipl.-Rest. Mechthild Noll-Minor (BLDAM, Head of the Building Research and Restoration Department)
- Dr Ralf Ruhnau (President of the Berlin Building Chamber)
Contact us
IBB: Institute for Building Research and Conservation
