On the way to new constructive experiments in the building industry "Constructive Disobedience" Conference at the Staatstheater Braunschweig

How can building standards be reformulated in the face of the climate crisis? Can experiments on the building site lead to future-oriented solutions? The Institute of Technology and Design IKON of Technische Universität Braunschweig is hosting an international conference at the Staatstheater Braunschweig on 15 and 16 September.

Staatstheater Braunschweig with Constructive Disobedience lettering.
Photo credit: Constructive Disobedience/TU Braunschweig

Building standards in areas such as construction, thermal insulation and building acoustics lead to a great deal of material expenditure in construction. Experiments have become almost impossible in today’s building practice, which regards error-free construction according to DIN standards as having no alternative. Historically, however, innovations such as Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence have always resulted from pioneering experiments. In order to develop new solutions that meet the demands of climate change, architects are now calling for “constructive disobedience” at the “Constructive Disobedience” conference.

Hybrid conference at the Staatstheater

Since the conference is about questions of social relevance, it is not taking place on campus but in a public space, in the Staatstheater. Professor Helga Blocksdorf: “We are extremely pleased to be able to invite you to the conference in the Louis-Spohr-Saal of the Staatstheater. In choosing the venue, the hinge effect between TU Braunschweig and the city was decisive, in addition to the wonderfully cosmopolitan atmosphere of the ensemble, coupled with a bit of grandeur.” The conference is therefore not only aimed at scientists and students, but also at interested guests.

Back to experimentation in building practice

The current construction discussion oscillates between the extremes of having to provide a lot of living space quickly, while at the same time reducing material battles for climate protection reasons and achieving sustainability in construction. “In residential construction in particular, high material consumption, among other things due to sound insulation regulations such as DIN 4109, is stipulated in the Administrative Regulation on Technical Building Regulations (VV TB) and has a legally binding effect. Construction practice is currently further away than ever from reducing material consumption,” says Professor Blocksdorf. “This is where we have to start and question the applicable standards and regulations, which is one of the concerns of our conference.”

The organisers – Katharina Benjamin (Kontextur), Prof. Dr. Matthias Graf von Ballestrem (HafenCity University Hamburg) and Professor Helga Blocksdorf (Institute of Technology and Design) – expect this research methodology to make a significant contribution to the building turnaround in the face of the climate crisis by making the constructive experiment from the individual case in building practice methodologically tangible, comprehensible and thus connectable.

The conference, which is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), among others, will be held hybrid and simultaneously in German and English. There are still a few places available for participation in person. Interested parties can register for participation in person or digitally up to and including 04.09.2022.

Further information: https://constructive-disobedience.com/