Vivien Nowak, M.A.

Research assistant for the history and theory of architecture

Unit

Department of CITY | BUILDING | CULTURE

vivien.nowak@fh-potsdam.de

Phone

+49 331 580-4225

Location

House A

Room

A.2.04

CV

since 2024 academic staff member at the FH Potsdam
since 2022 Doctoral studies at the Institute for Architecture and Urban Design, Faculty of Design at the UdK Berlin
2021-2024 academic assistant in the P3Dual (DocDual) project at the FH Potsdam
2021-2024 freelance work at the Beamten-Wohnungs-Verein zu Berlin (BWV)
Since 2020 scientific project coordination at the FH Potsdam
2018-2020 Master's degree in Architecture and Urban Design at the FH Potsdam
2015-2018 Bachelor's degree in Architecture at the TU Berlin

Teaching activity

Summer semester 2025 Head of the seminar "Teatro di Siracusa" with Prof. Dr Silvia Malcovati
WiSe 2024/25 Leading the elective course "Schwedt an der Oder. Urban redevelopment and development strategies" with Prof. Dr Silvia Malocvati
Summer semester 2024 Lecturer in the Erasmus+ KA 131 Blended Intensive Programme"Strategies and projects for Palmanova. Enhancing the historical, architectural and urban heritage."
WiSe 2023/24 Leading the Interflex seminar "Innovation Campus Schwedt" with Prof. Dr Silvia Malcovati
Summer semester 2023 Lecturer in the Erasmus+ KA 131 Blended Intensive Programme"Learning from Pompeii (view from the North). The ancient urban form for the future city"
Summer semester 2022 Leading the seminar trip "Red Vienna - Architecture and Urbanism" with Prof. Dr Silvia Malcovati and Kristin Weber
since winter semester 2021/22 Head of the elective course series "Atlas of the Berlin Reform Block" at the FH Potsdam
Scientific collaboration at the WinterSchool 2022 in cooperation with ETH Zurich on the topic of "Metropolitan Landscapes"
Scientific collaboration in the International Spring Academy Ruhr 2021 in cooperation with TU Dortmund University, TU Eindhoven and the University degli Studium di Napoli Federico II on the topic "Large housing estates - The future of the large housing estate - part of the city or external satellite"
Co-supervision of the advanced seminar "Large housing estates - Four housing estates in Berlin" (winter semester 2021/22, FH Potsdam)

Research activity

PhD project with the title "Erich Köhn and Paul Mebes. Architects of the Beamten-Wohnungs-Verein zu Berlin eG 1900 - 1923" (since 2022)
Scientific project coordination of the research project"Block.Reform.Berlin" at the FH Potsdam (since 2020)
Conception, coordination and moderation of the symposium "Die Wiedergeburt der städtischen Architektur. Block Reform 1890-1940. History and Perspectives" (23 and 24 September 2021, Berlin)

Projects

Doctorate in DocDual on the topic "Erich Köhn and Paul Mebes. Architects of the Beamten-Wohnungsbau-Verein zu Berlin eG 1900 - 1923"

The constantly growing city and the resulting housing debate was and is a central topic of our time. The ongoing questions of liveable urban spaces, optimised flat layouts, urban clarity and the structuring of public and private space with sustainable planning and cost-effective production without the loss of architecturally valuable designs are more topical than ever.

The reform endeavours that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, which did not negate or dissolve the existing city, but aimed to transform it without contradicting its characteristics, are little researched but of great importance in this respect. The emergence of the co-operative system at the same time played a central role in this context. In addition to a pure housing reform, i.e. an aesthetic and hygienic architectural dimension, the economic and social reform led to a combination of both topics, which goes hand in hand with the term "housing reform". This is where my dissertation project "Erich Köhn and Paul Mebes. Architekten des Beamten-Wohnungs-Vereins zu Berlin eG 1900 - 1923" at my practice partner, the Beamten-Wohnungs-Verein zu Berlin eG.

The focus of my work is on analysing the works of both architects from a historical, conservation and monument preservation perspective as well as on an interdisciplinary examination and classification in the context of debates at the time and today. In terms of content, the urban reform housing construction in connection with the emergence of the Berlin co-operative system at the beginning of the 20th century is to be thematised anew, discussed and made accessible to the public as well as to architectural and urban planning practice.

My supervisor at the FH Potsdam is: Prof. Dr Silvia Malcovati
My practice partner: Beamten-Wohnungs-Verein zu Berlin eG (BWV)

Publications at FHP from 2018 onwards (according to core data set for research)

2025

Silvia Malcovati, Vivien Nowak. Schwedt an der Oder : Stadtumbau & Entwicklungsperspektiven: Katalog der Ausstellung 13.06. - 18.07.2025 - Rathaus Schwedt/Oder. 2025.
Vivien Nowak. Stadt im Wandel: Schwedt/Oder als Laboratorium für Transformation, Lehre und Forschung. 14-172025.

Additional publications

Malcovati, S. / Nowak, V. (Hg.), Schwedt an der Oder. Stadtumbau und Entwicklungsperspektiven, Juni 2025.
Nowak,V. „Reformarchitektur. Zwischen Forschung, Lehre und Praxis“, in: BWV Berlin eG (Hg.), Mein Zuhause. Mitgliederzeitschrift der Beamten-Wohnungs-Verein zu Berlin eG., Heft No. 1, 27. Jahrgang, August 2024.
Brands, Malcovati ,Nowak „A Roman 'promenade architecturale'“,in: Coppolino, Di Chiara, Visconti (Hg.), BIP Pompeii. Architecture for Archaeology. Projects for the South boundary between ancient and contemporary city, Januar 2024.
Brands, Malcovati, Nowak, "Learning from Architecture", in: Visconti, F. (Hg), Houses and Analogy. Learning from Pompeii (view from the north), Juli 2023.
Nowak, V., "Erich Köhn und Paul Mebes. Den Hausarchitekten auf der Spur", Beitrag in BWV Berlin eG (Hg.), Mein Zuhause. Mitgliederzeitschrift der Beamten-Wohnungs-Verein e.G., Heft No. 2, 23. Jahrgang, November 2021.

Selected projects

Design and Construction Workshop Gohrisch: Material, Joining, House

The research and teaching project "Design and Building Workshop Gohrisch - Material, Joining, Landscape" examines the question of how contemporary architecture in rural areas can respond to landscape, climate, community and local building culture. The starting point is the municipality of Gohrisch in Saxon Switzerland - a place characterised by its special topographical location, its cultural…

Schwedt an der Oder − Urban Redevelopment & Development Prospects

In the teaching and research project of the Architecture and Urban Design degree programme, students developed innovative concepts for the city of Schwedt/Oder over the course of two semesters − from a new innovation campus to the redesign of central inner-city spaces. Future-oriented ideas for mobility, sustainability and social participation were developed in close collaboration with local…

Learning from Pompeii (view from the North). The ancient urban form for the future city

As part of the Erasmus + KA131 Blended Intensive programme, students have the opportunity to engage intensively with the city of Pompeii in both a digital and analogue component and to derive new design ideas through international exchange.

Innovation Campus Schwedt an der Oder – A New Location for Green Energy

Today, Germany's refineries are at a turning point, the challenges of the energy transition are becoming increasingly tangible and a rethink is taking place. This is where the project comes in and uses the example of the PCK refinery in Schwedt an der Oder to look for concepts for a forward-looking orientation and reorganisation of the site.