Society for the History of Building Technology met in Braunschweig

‘Maintain. Reactivate. Save’ – this was the motto of the conference held from 15 to 17 May by the Society for the History of Building Technology at the invitation of the Technical University of Braunschweig and the City of Braunschweig. The focus was on contributions from the history of construction technology to a culture of reuse. How has knowledge of construction technology been gained, reactivated and applied in reuse, and how is this being done today? What is this contribution from the perspective of engineering, construction history and monument preservation?

During the conference in the Old Town Hall in Braunschweig, the 2025 Sponsorship Award of the Society for the History of Building Technology was also presented. Picture credit: TU Braunschweig

In her welcoming address, Professor Antje Schwalb, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, pointed out that in-depth knowledge of historical technical developments and background information is necessary for the reuse of existing buildings. The goal of resource-efficient reuse instead of demolition and new construction was supported by numerous presentations. The TU Braunschweig will continue to be actively involved in the association’s executive committee with Dr Sebastian Hoyer from the Institute for Building Maintenance and Structural Engineering.

Founded in 2013, the Society for the History of Building Technology currently brings together around 175 experts from the fields of architecture, civil engineering, monument preservation, and architectural, technical, art and scientific history who work at universities, in offices and in monument preservation authorities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The aim is to examine the technical aspects of the history of building – in research and teaching as well as in construction practice and monument preservation.