IN-PERSON Prague Research & Teaching Conference
Abstract
This paper reflects on the experience of supervising an interdisciplinary master’s thesis on the “Wachsmann Hangar” as an example of circular construction. Historical building techniques can inform current sustainability and circular economy approaches. Written from the perspectives of two supervisors — one from architecture and one from structural engineering—it explores the challenges and potentials of collaboration between these disciplines. The supervision process highlighted differing evaluation standards: architecture emphasizes conceptual and design possibilities, while structural engineering focuses on calculations, standardization, and material efficiency. The interdisciplinary examination of the Wachsmann Hangar demonstrated both the complementarity of these perspectives and the longstanding difficulties arising from different methodologies and terminologies. More broadly, this paper examines how interdisciplinary supervision shapes problem definition, method selection, and result interpretation. It discusses challenges in bridging disciplinary gaps and highlights opportunities for innovation in research and teaching. In today’s complex scientific landscape, interdisciplinary approaches are not just methodologically necessary but key to addressing pressing societal challenges.
Jamila Loutfi is a research and teaching assistant at the Berlin University of the Arts. With a background in civil engineering, she explores the intersection of architecture and engineering, focusing on circular construction, structural optimization, and digital tools. Her research integrates sustainability principles into structural systems while fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration. By bridging technical precision with design thinking, she seeks to advance engineering and architectural education toward more holistic and resource-efficient construction approaches.
In her dissertation project at the Department of Architectural History and Theory at Berlin University of the Arts, Soetje Marie Beermann is exploring gaps in the transmission and lines of thought in Wachsmann’s work. She is a graduate of architecture, a trained craftsperson, and currently she is a PhD fellow at the Evangelisches Studienwerk Villigst. As a staff member of the Baukunstarchiv of the Berlin Academy of Arts, smb was responsible for the scholarly exploration of a collection of glass slides, 112 models and prototypes, and 94 sound recordings from the Konrad Wachsmann archive.
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Thursday 12th June, 2025