Schöner Wandel - Festival für nachhaltige Baukultur

In the organizer's words:

Sustainable building culture is the focus of the "Schöner Wandel" festival, which takes place from September 25 to 28 on the Chemnitz Garage Campus. The organizer is the ZfBK - Zentrum für Baukultur Sachsen. There will be lectures, excursions, a film, a school workshop and other diverse event formats, including for families. Free admission to all events.

Baukultur affects everyone. In addition to the designed environment, from buildings and green spaces to infrastructure, it also encompasses planning and participation culture. With the "Schöner Wandel" festival, the ZfBK invites all those interested in building culture and sustainability to learn new things, network and develop ideas together for a sustainable and beautiful design of our environment. The program includes lectures, excursions (also for families with children), a film screening, a school workshop, a panel discussion and other varied offers.

PROGRAMMÜBERSICHT 25.–28.09.2025
Thursday, 25.09.2025

7:00 p.m.
Welcome and opening
With Minister of State Regina Kraushaar, Saxon Minister of State for Infrastructure and Regional Development and the new Mayor of Chemnitz, Thomas Kütter (requested)

7:20 p.m.
Keynote "The New European Bauhaus"
Ruth Schagemann, EU Liaison Office of the Federal Chamber of Architects

The EU program "New European Bauhaus" combines sustainability, aesthetics and participation and promotes projects for more liveable communities. Ruth Schagemann represents the German Federal Chamber of Architects in Brussels and presents the idea and the funding of public and private initiatives.

7:40 p.m.
Lecture "Lighthouse project New European Bauhaus"
Martin Luce, TU Munich
In the "Creating NEBourhoods Together" project, sustainable district prototypes have been created together with citizens in Munich since 2022. From energy communities to 3D-printed building envelopes and animal-aided design, new ideas for urban living spaces are emerging.

From 20:30
Exchange and networking
The festival also aims to provide space for informal exchange on issues of sustainable building culture. With this in mind, everyone is cordially invited to exchange ideas and make new contacts over a drink from our festival bar, inspired by the inputs of the day.

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Friday, 26.09.2025

10:00-11:30 a.m.
Excursion "Frei-Otto-Park Chemnitz"
The new park in Chemnitz-West was opened in May - a green meeting place with sports equipment for all ages and information on the park's history, created with the help of 3,000 committed citizens. The Parks Department reports on the transformation during a tour.
Meeting point: Rosmarinstr. 1, 09117 Chemnitz | With registration at anmeldung@zfbk.de

14:00-15:30
Excursion "Pleißenbach - The largest intervention area in Chemnitz"
A new urban space with a park, residential and commercial areas has been created on the site of the old Altendorf goods station. Citizens had a say in the design of the park. The Parks Department presents the new area in a tour.
Meeting point: Limbacher Str. 146a, 09116 Chemnitz | With registration at anmeldung@zfbk.de

16:00-17:15
Film "Wild Land - The Return of Nature"
The documentary tells the story of a British couple who trust nature to preserve their old country estate: They tear down fences, let the land run wild and settle animals. Their restoration project becomes one of the most important in Europe.

17:30-18:00
Lecture "Biodiversity, species protection, climate change - native wild plants as a solution"
Reinhard Witt, natural garden planner, co-founder and president of Naturgarten e.V.
The motto of Naturgarten e.V. is not to conquer nature, but to shape it. Renaturation creates spaces full of life and beauty that are also refuges for biodiversity and sustainability. They make an important contribution to a green future.

19:00-20:30
Lecture "Urban Mining - The beauty of the past"
Prof. Dr. Anja Rosen, Münster University of Applied Sciences
Urban mining means the reuse of building materials, i.e. it describes a concept of the circular economy for the construction sector. In her lecture, Anja Rosen presents innovative urban mining projects and talks about the objective measurability of the circular use of materials as well as the special potential of re-use materials, whose patina paints a unique picture.

From 21:00
Exchange and networking
The festival would also like to provide space for informal exchange on questions of sustainable building culture. With this in mind, everyone is cordially invited to exchange ideas and make new contacts over a drink from our festival bar, inspired by the inputs of the day.

Saturday, 27.09.2025

10:00-12:00
Excursion "City walk for families"
Which building is the boss? Which ones like each other, which ones don't? How do you recognize the functions of a building and from where it wants to be seen? Architectural historian Turit Fröbe takes people aged 5 to 99 on a walk through the city center and talks about architecture and urban planning.
Meeting point: Fountain at the Stadthalle, Str. der Nationen 3, 09111 Chemnitz | With registration at anmeldung@zfbk.de

14:00-16:00
Excursion "Determining architecture in the city center"
Historic buildings often show their year of construction on the façade, modern buildings rarely do. During the city tour, architectural historian Turit Fröbe explains how to recognize modern architecture based on windows, materials and shapes.
Meeting point: Youth Hostel, Getreidemarkt 1, 09111 Chemnitz | With registration at anmeldung@zfbk.de

17:00-18:30
Pecha Kucha short lectures "My beautiful change"
An event organized by the BDA - Association of German Architects Saxony
Architects, urban and landscape planners present highlights and ideas for designing climate-friendly building culture. In short, concise contributions, new perspectives will be opened up and creative approaches brought to life.
Moderation: Alexander Pötzsch, Chairman BDA Saxony.

19:30-21:00
Lecture "The post-digital renaissance of the city"
Niklas Maak, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The renowned art and architecture critic Niklas Maak is a feature editor and taught at Harvard. His most recent publications include his novel "Technophoria". Maak writes about cities that are too hot, design and tech billionaires. His lecture deals with the question: What might cities and life look like in the digital future?

From 21:00
Party
After a varied day with lectures and impulses on building culture and sustainability, we invite you to a party to round off the day. There will be music, stimulating discussions and cool drinks. An opportunity to end the day in a relaxed atmosphere.

Sunday, 28.09.2025

10:00-12:00
Building Culture Brunch
All those interested in Baukultur are invited to join us for breakfast to philosophize about sustainable design, plan projects and celebrate Baukultur. Please bring your own food, coffee and tea will be provided. Alternatively, a standard breakfast can be ordered for €10: anmeldung@zfbk.de.

12:00-13:00
Baukultur initiatives introduce themselves
Saxon Baukultur initiatives present their topics and projects in short presentations. The event offers space for exchange, new impulses and the networking of committed actors of Baukultur.

14:00-15:30
Guided tour of the "Stasi Records Archive"
The former ROBOTRON building from the 1970s was converted into the Stasi Records Archive in 2022 and now houses around 7.5 km of files. The guided tour with Heine Mildner Architekten shows how the existing building was upgraded, the load-bearing structure preserved and sustainability ensured.
Meeting point: Lothringer Straße 10, 09120 Chemnitz | With registration at anmeldung@zfbk.de

14:00-15:30
Excursion "By bike to conversion projects of industrial monuments"
Schönherr-Fabrik, Garage Campus, Stadtwirtschaft: Sustainable building culture means converting existing buildings. Chemnitz has numerous renovated industrial buildings with a variety of uses. We get on our bikes and take a look at selected examples.
Meeting point: Garagen-Campus, Zwickauer Str. 164, 09116 Chemnitz | With registration at anmeldung@zfbk.de

16:00-18:00
Panel discussion "Industrial buildings as creative machines"
Conversions of industrial buildings tell stories of courage, crises, commitment and reinvention. On the panel, those responsible from Chemnitz, Plauen and Flöha will discuss ideas, challenges and solutions for successful transformations.
Moderator: Katrin Hoffmann, Industriekultur Sachsen e.V.