IUSD Lecture by Prof. Martin Ostermann

S ain b lity

With rising concerns about the effects of global warming, the term “sustainability” has occupied every aspect of our life. In architecture, the term has proliferated so intensely that its original understanding and purpose have eroded. Today every architect, urban designer, client and municipality does provide “sustainable solutions”. With the additions of new terms and aspects of sustainability, it has been increasingly difficult to make out what it is standing for. Since its introduction in the discourse of architecture in the 1990ies, the term has carved out a career similar to an architectural design movement. It has become fashionable to be sustainable as an architect. Sustainability has generated architectural designs that would be unthinkable without it. But while design movements die out after several years the demand for being sustainable is more pressing today than ever. With the erosion of its original meaning, the term “sustainability” is increasingly blocking necessary change. It is questionable if “sustainability” is still the right term to describe a necessary development of architecture. This lecture is about a critical review of the term sustainability and a search for different concepts and terminologies.

Date, Time & Location
Wednesday, 25 May 2022 – 18:00 CEST
University of Stuttgart, K1 building, 8th floor, Labor 8

and via Webex:
https://unistuttgart.webex.com/unistuttgart-en/j.php?MTID=m0f5a1417c6034de6d09a62da62082d4a
Meeting number: 2731 141 7046
Meeting Password: 3eiXErubG72

Prof. Martin Ostermann studied architecture at the Technical University in Aachen, the Bartlett School of Architecture and the Architectural Association in London. He started his professional career working as a senior architect at Studio Daniel Libeskind in Berlin where he was responsible for the Imperial War Museum North, the Jewish Museum San Francisco, the Hong Kong Media Centre and the Hiroshima Peace Prize exhibition amongst others. In 2012 he received an AIA Board of Directors Citation as recognition of his contribution to the new masterplan for the World Trade Center in New York. Prof. Martin Ostermann is a founding director of magma architecture. In 2003 he lectured at the Technical University in Cottbus. He taught at the Chalmers University in Gothenburg, Sweden, 2014 – 2016, at the GUtech in Muscat, Oman, The University of Western Australia, Perth and The University of Sydney, Australia. In 2017 he has been awarded the Droga Architect in Residence from the Australian Institute of Architects Foundation. In 2018 Prof. Martin Ostermann was appointed as full professor at the University of Stuttgart to lead the Institute for building technology and design (IBK2).