A Quantum of Sea – Marine Research Center Stralsund
Issued by the Institute of Architectural Design and Building Typologies (Prof. Elke Reichel)
As part of the master’s thesis, students developed proposals for a research laboratory located directly on the Baltic Sea in Stralsund. The spaces are designed to support and enhance the specific processes of research activities, while also serving as the primary working environment where researchers spend extended periods of time.
The assignment is based on a real demand to expand the Stralsund research site and strengthen its connections to other research facilities.
Given the site’s immediate proximity to the sea and the historic old town of Stralsund, the project raises the question of an appropriate architectural response—one that engages with the significance of the location and its context, while also addressing its broader societal role.
The Brussels Social Hotel
Issued by the Institute of Design and Housing (Prof. Dr. Martino Tattara)
The master’s thesis project Brussels Social Hotel develops a model of temporary housing for disadvantaged populations in Brussels, integrated with public facilities serving both the neighborhood and the city. It is rooted in the city’s contradictory housing conditions, which—despite a largely conservative housing market—are shaped by informal and often precarious forms of temporary accommodation.
The project draws on historical typologies of temporary living—from residential hotels and workers’ housing to rehabilitative shelters—and translates them into a contemporary architectural proposal. Located in Anderlecht at the edge of the Marais de Biestebroek, a contested former industrial area with a strong civic presence, the Social Hotel is conceived not as an emergency solution but as an alternative housing institution. It redefines the notion of home as a shared, temporary, and adaptable space, consciously manifesting its social role as a visible part of the city.
Ochsenkathedrale – An Experimental Quarter for the Spa Town of Tomorrow
Issued by the Institute of Urban Design and Planning (Prof. Dr. Martin Knöll)
Bad Kissingen, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Great Spa Towns of Europe,” faces the compelling challenge of reconciling its historic legacy with the demands of sustainable urban development. Positioned between tradition and innovation, this work explores how the “spa town of tomorrow” can be shaped so that history, culture, and heritage are brought into harmony with innovative uses, sustainable mobility, contemporary housing, and social as well as ecological needs—and made experientially accessible as a whole.
The southern gateway area of the city, surrounding the former slaughterhouse (“Ochsenkathedrale”), serves as a testing ground for this investigation. The aim is to transform this site of contradictions into a vibrant, inclusive, and green urban quarter that preserves the identity and history of the area while creating space for experimental and forward-looking approaches.
Freie Masterthesen
Six graduates developed and pursued individual, self-initiated topics for their master’s theses as an alternative to the collectively assigned design projects offered each semester.
They were supervised by the institutes of Digital Design, Construction and Experimental Design, Architectural Design and Building Typologies, and Design and Urban Development.