The department congratulates!
Department Awards for the Best Master Theses Winter 2025/26
2026/02/23
As part of the graduation ceremony, four equivalent department awards and numerous other recognitions were presented.
The Department Awards
Ein Quantum Meer – Marine Research Center Stralsund
As part of her master’s thesis supervised by the Department of Design and Building Typology (Prof. Elke Reichel), Veronika Rikhter developed a design for a research laboratory on the Baltic Sea in Stralsund. Located close to the sea and the historic old town, the project responds to the real need to strengthen the research site spatially and infrastructurally. The design combines highly specialized research workflows with high-quality spaces for researchers and provides an architectural solution that respects both the site’s natural and cultural significance and its broader societal responsibility.
THE BRUSSELS SOCIAL HOTEL
As part of his master’s thesis supervised by the Department of Design and Housing (Prof. Dr. Martino Tattara), Noah Sananikone develops a model for temporary housing in Brussels. Against the backdrop of a strained housing market, the project proposes an alternative housing institution for disadvantaged groups, linking private living with public facilities for the neighborhood and the city. Located in Anderlecht, within the transforming Marais de Biestebroek area, the design draws on historical typologies such as residential hotels and workers’ housing, reinterpreting them into a contemporary architectural framework.
Ochsenkathedrale – An Experimental Quarter for the Spa Town of Tomorrow
As part of the project supervised by the Department of Design and Urban Planning (Prof. Dr. Martin Knöll), Caroline Ortmann and Samira Cramm explore future perspectives for the spa town of Bad Kissingen, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Great Spa Towns of Europe. At the southern city entrance around the former slaughterhouse—the so-called “Ochsenkathedrale”—they develop an experimental quarter that links heritage buildings, vacant lots, and new uses. The goal is to create a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable urban district that preserves historical identity while integrating innovative housing, mobility concepts, and social and ecological strategies.
History as House | House as History
As part of her independent master’s thesis at the Department of Design and Building Typology (Prof. Elke Reichel), Fitore Delija explores the transformation of the former student house on the Kulturcampus Frankfurt-Bockenheim. Building on the initiatives Vision 31 and the Offenes Haus der Kulturen, the project develops an architectural approach that treats history as a spatial resource and reinterprets the building as a carrier of collective memory.
Embedded within the co-creative urban development project Vision 31—supported by the European initiative New European Bauhaus—the thesis understands architecture as an open experimental space for the city’s community. Its aim is to activate the Kulturcampus as a vibrant, socially and ecologically sustainable district that connects art, culture, science, and public life.
The department awards are endowed with 500 euros each.
Fritz-Filter-Award
Benedikt Benker, Fitore Delija, Monja Kulla and Hannah Watzke.
The Athene Medal is awarded by TU Darmstadt for outstanding academic achievement. The distinction is given to students whose master’s thesis received a grade of 1.0 and whose overall grade point average is better than 1.4.
For the first time, the Fritz Filter Award was presented at this year’s master’s graduation ceremony. Named after a fictional student of the department, the award was initiated by the student members of the master’s examination committee.
This semester, Monja Kulla and Hannah Watzke were honored for their independent thesis “Supermarkt+”, supervised by the Department of Design and Urban Development (Prof. Dr. Annette Rudolph-Cleff).
Award for Social Engagement
Ozan Akcay, Monja Kulla, Jan Liebig, Maike Oberle, Caroline Ortmann, Veronika Rikhter, Cosima Scherbaum, Renée Suchantke, Hannah Watzke, and Cathrin Weil were recognized for their voluntary contributions to the department, for example as members of the student council or as student representatives on the master’s examination committee.
Awards for Outstanding Academic Achievement by the Vereinigung von Freunden der TU Darmstadt e.V. for the Best Master Theses of 2025
Ozan Akcay, Monja Kulla, Jan Liebig, Maike Oberle, Caroline Ortmann, Veronika Rikhter, Cosima Scherbaum. Renée Suchantke, Hannah Watzke und Cathrin Weil wurden für ihr ehrenamtliches Engagement am Fachbereich z.B. als Mitglieder der Fachschaft oder als studentische Vertreterinnen in der Masterprüfungskommission ausgezeichnet.
Congratulations to all the awardees!
Selected master’s theses will soon be available on our website and on our Instagram profile.
More images from Master’s graduation celebrations.