Societal challenges such as the climate emergency, the scarcity of resources and an increasingly divided society make it clear that we need new approaches to planning and building in cities and beyond. It is also becoming apparent that solutions can only be effective in the long term if supported by civil society requiring new forms of participation and planning culture. The potential of transdisciplinary cooperation currently needs to be exploited. With the CDC, TU Berlin plans to establish a first contact point for innovative planning processes supported by civil society inspired by the US American model of the Community Design Centre. Projects hitherto carried out repeatedly by individual departments will thus have a fixed framework at the Institute of Architecture. The CDC makes long-term cooperation between academic and non-academic actors possible beyond one semester. In addition to the content-related work on projects, the centre also strengthens student initiatives in teaching and secures the long-term focus of academic staff.

Bau- und Abbruchabfällen kommt in Deutschland eine Schlüsselrolle für eine geschlossene Kreislaufwirtschaft zu. 2019 machten sie mit rund 3.700.000 Tonnen den Großteil (57 %) des Brutto-Abfallaufkommens in Berlin aus. Auch wenn Teile dieser Abfallgruppe wieder verwertet werden können, so erfolgte dies weitestgehend in Form einer Nutzungskaskade mit abnehmender Wertschöpfung. Dies gilt auch für die Wiederverwertung von Altholz, die häufig in einer abschließendenenergetischen Nutzung endet. Doch schwindende Ressourcen, endliche Deponieräume und der drängende Klimawandel machen deutlich, dass gesellschaftlich ein grundlegendes Umdenken im Umgang mit Rohstoffen und Abfällen notwendig ist.

Earth building techniques such as earth bricks, cobb, rammed earth, and wattle & daub are among the oldest building methods known to mankind and are still of great importance in today's highly technologised building industry. Due to its potential for life-cycle construction and its positive effect on interior room climate, earth building must be given a higher status in architectural education. In the seminar, the theoretical and practical basics for the application of earth building techniques will be explored and illustrated using a series of reference projects with a focus on the European context. The seminar outcomes will serve as preparation for a future exhibition and publication.