Teaching

Architects know that built form and financing are mutually dependent. Materials, labor, and land must always be paid
for somehow-- and changing costs can radically alter design decisions. At the same time, architectural interventions can
transform the value of land, redefine property relations, and alter labor regimes. The relationship between architecture
and money, therefore, remains unstable. This seminar in architectural history invites students to analyze the roles that
architecture has played in the creation of value, the generation of wealth, and the consolidation of global financial sys-
tems. Together, we will discuss how specific typologies and aesthetics cultivated in the North African kingdom of Mali in
the 14th century, the Southern European city of Florence in the 15th century, and the North American plantations of the
19th century, have shaped major debates in economic, political, and social history.
This is a reading and discussion-based seminar. Students read assigned texts before and during the seminar in order to
identify and discuss critical themes, arguments, and insights. All students are required to actively participate in weekly
class discussions, complete reading assignments, and contribute to the class Miro board. Each student will make one in-
class presentation on the subject of their choice related to the seminar's topic. There are no written term-papers papers
or assignments due during the exam week.
It is possible to write a Studienarbeiten in connection to this seminar.

The first meeting will
take place on April
24th at 10 am on
Zoom.
10:00 - 11:30
Online
SWS: 2
Credits: 3
Seminar

Energy not only determines how we heat and light our homes - it also has a major impact on how we think about, design and
use space. Since the 19th century, new energy sources such as coal, electricity, oil and the sun have fundamentally changed our cities and
landscapes. The seminar examines the interactions between energy use and the
associated transformation of architecture, city and territory.
The seminar structure follows a chronolo-
gical sequence of interlocking energy sources and shows their effects on the environment, spatial organization and architectural design. We combine historical perspectives with current debates such as
on the decarbonization of cities and the countryside. Weekly readings form the basis for the discussions,
supplemented by film excerpts that illustrate the media representation of energy and space in the 20th century.

The course is aimed at Master's and Bachelor's students in the Departments of Architecture, Urban Planning and Land
use Planning. Participating students prepare a presentation on a selected weekly topic. The
assessment is based on participation in discussion and presentation. A written paper at the end of the
semester is not planned; however, there is the option of preparing a term paper in connection with the sem-
inar.
The seminar is held in German. Readings will be provided during the semester.
Tuesday, 18:00-20:00
Room 0105
ASL-Neubau
A-2.1-31 / A-1.1-31
SWS: 2
Credits: 3
First meeting:
21.04.2026 at 18:00

What is the frontier? How is land turned into one? And what is the role of architecture and land management in this
process? This block seminar, open to both Bachelor and Master students, will explore these questions by focusing on the
example of Jetisu, a region at the confluence of contemporary Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and China, which was colonized
by the Russian empire during the nineteenth century. We will read, discuss, watch films, and host presentations by
artists and scholars working on this history.
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What is a frontier? How is land made into a frontier? And what role do architecture and land management
play in this process? This block seminar, open to Bachelor's and Master's students, addresses these questions
using the example of Jetisu, a region at the intersection of present-day Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China, which was colonized by the Russian Empire in the 19th
century. The seminar combines reading and discussion sessions
with film screenings and contributions from artists and scholars working on this history.
Students will have a choice of reading and discussing either in English or in German. All readings will be made available
on Moodle. Every student will make one presentation in the course of the seminar; there is no additional examination or
written assignment, and it is possible to write a Studienarbeit in connection to this class.
Block seminar during
the Compact Week,
4-8 May 2026
Room to be
announced on moodle
SWS: 2
Credits: 3
English/German

WHAT:
The architectural-theoretical concept of regionalism emerged in the context of modernism as a reaction to the
universalism of international modernism and its claim to a uniform formal language. However,
it became apparent that the categories of "regional" and "global" do not form a simple opposition, but rather generate and condition each other
.
In the seminar, we will examine regional*isms in architecture as an ambivalent and contested field between
critical practice, ideological simplification and political instrumentalization. The focus will be on
entanglements with everyday spatial practices, processes of national identity formation and postcolonial perspectives
on assertions of regional architectural practices. Regionalism is understood both as an emancipatory approach to
situated, context-bound architecture and as a potential instrument of power for cultural homogenization
.
The central moment is the question of the extent to which a "critical" regionalism
differs from an "uncritical" one, and which (climatic, topographical, historical, cultural or socio-political) factors shape the
regional content of architecture. Can a "true" regionality be defined primarily by formal and stylistic
characteristics or does it emerge from a dynamic, constantly changing context?
HOW:
Using historical and current built examples and texts, we will analyze regional architecture
in the seminar units with regard to its critical content, especially against the backdrop of current crises of the
global and the strengthening of political populism. We will translate the knowledge we have acquired on the theories and practice of regionalism
into an experimental design in a workshop in Berlin and Potsdam and discuss your designs
in relation to the theoretical texts in subsequent seminar sessions.
EXCURSION:
The excursion to Yerevan, Armenia is expected to take place in the first week of September. In Yerevan,
we will study the Armenian architecture of the socialist period and current examples as well as the radical urban design
interventions over the last century and discuss them with local experts.
Tuesdays
18:00 - 19:30
Room 3109
Universitätsplatz 9,
ASL 1
A-1.0-40 / A-2.0-40
A-2.0-11 / A-1.0-11
SWS: 4
Credits: 6
Seminar with excursion
German

Across Europe, women make up the majority of architecture students, yet remain underrepresented in professional
practice and leadership. What structural conditions shape this imbalance, and how have feminist scholars sought to
challenge it?
This seminar introduces key texts in feminist theory and explores their impact on architectural history and criticism. Top-
ics include access to education and professional practice, critiques of the canon, gendered spaces, and the intersection
of gender with race, class, and sexuality.
A central component of the course is a hands-on archival project in collaboration with the Archiv der deutschen Frauen-
bewegung in Kassel. Working with primary sources, students will develop their own zines (self-published, visual-textual
booklets) as a way of critically engaging and presenting their research.
Please note: Participation requires availability for meetings and individual work outside of scheduled class time.
Mondays,
18:00 - 20:00
SWS: 4
Credits: 6
Form:
Seminar
Campus Center,
Seminar Room 5
(Room 1118)