Research Laboratory

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. As part of the European funding

programme LINA, HDA is organizing a three-year research project with young architectural

practises from Europe.

The theme of the international project is the numerous severe weather events that are occurring. The intensity of heat waves, storms and floods is statistically increasing and it is expected that th frequency of severe weather will continue to increase in the future. This is where the HDA research laboratory comes in. In order to be able to react actively to the extreme weather conditions in terms of construction, new, sustainable building typologies are to be developed that can withstand heavy rain and flooding as well as overheating.

The invited architects will actively participate in the collection of successful building typologies, construction methods and materials from different regions and climatic zones. As architectural practices with different backgrounds they will engage in a professional discussion with all participants during the workshop and lecture events. The aim of the research laboratory is to jointly develop new ideas for intelligent construction methods in response to the challenges posed by the increasing number of severe weather events worldwide.

The first research lab has tanken place in spring 2023 at the HDA and was open to visitors. The audience was invited to meet the architects, observe them at work in the development and design process, ask questions but also exchange your own ideas, experiences and inspirations with the researchers.

The Research Lab was accompanied by an extensive program of lectures by experts at the HAD. All lectures were open to the public. Topics included: Status Quo regarding climate change, historical and new climate-friendly building methods, the sponge city, new research in the field of biotechnology and much more.

Program February 20–23 2023

Monday, February 20, 10 a.m. | Research Programme Presentation

"Introduction and definition of tasks workshop"

Beate Engelhorn, HDA and Prof. Martin Ostermann, University of Stuttgart

Monday, February 20, 6 p.m. | Discussion

"New Generation Dialogue - LINA meets EUROPAN. Young Architects – Planning for the Future"

With: Alexandra Würz-Stalder, Municipal Councillor, Committee for Transport, Urban and Green Space Planning, among others, City of Graz Robert Piechl, Head of Urban Planning Dept, City of Klagenfurt Raquel Ruiz, EUROPAN 16 Award Winner Elisabeth Merk, City Planning Councillor Munich

Moderated by: Iris Kaltenegger, EUROPAN Austria Secretary General, Beate Engelhorn, HDA Director

Tuesday, February 21, 6 p.m. | Lecture

"From climate change to climate crisis"

Helga Kromp-Kolb, former head of the Center for Global Change and Sustainability, Institute for Meteorology and Climatology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna

Wednesday, February 22, 7 p.m. | Lectures

"Why our ancestors built better. Recycling ideas for the now"

Matthias Castorph, Institute for Building in Existing Contexts and Conservation of Monuments, Graz University of Technology

"New Technologies + Materials Research"

Milena Stavric, Institute for Architecture and Media, TU Graz

Thursday, February 23, 7 p.m. | Lectures

"The LINA Fellows introduce themselves"

From over 200 applicants, the HDA has selected four young architectural practices to conduct research together at the HDA. The architects introduced themselves and their work in short lectures.

Program February 24–March 9 2023

Friday, February 24, 7 p.m. | Lectures

"Latest research from biotechnology"

Matthias Slatner, "Designing the Future: Biotechnology meets Architecture", Innovation Manager, Austrian Center for Industrial Biotechnology Gibson Nyanhongo, "Agrobiogel" Institute for Environmental Biotechnology at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna

Monday, February 27, 7 p.m. | Lecture

"The Sponge City Principle"

Daniel Zimmermann, landscape architect, 3:0 landscape architecture, Vienna

Thursday, March 2, 7 p.m. | Book presentation

"BREATHE - Investigations into Our Atmospherically Entangled Future"

Klaus Loenhart, Editor, Head of the Institute f

On two evenings the LINA-fellows did presentations of their projects with invited guests

and experts. The presentations were public.

During the three weeks of the lab, a collection of building typologies was created that can counteract or prevent damage caused by severe weather events. All Fellows wrote a manifesto on their research, which precedes the book. The interim presentation took place in dialogue with about 10 experts in a small setting. For the final presentation, the architects decided to present their research in a small exhibition. The evening ended with fine cocktails and music.

Friday, March 3, 5 p.m.

Interim presentation

With: Werner und Inge Nussmüller, Claudia Gerhäusser, Eva Hierzer, Oliver Wildpaner Artem Kiatev, Sigrid Verhovsek, Bernhard Hohmann, Tim Wakonig-Lüking, Thomas Amann, Mark Jenewein and Mercedes Peralta.

Thursday, March 9, 7 p.m.

Final presentationor Architecture and Landscape, Graz University of Technology