Orientierungskurs und Gegenwartsarchitektur

After successful completion of the course, students are able to...

orient themselves at the university and in the study program of architecture, aswell as to reflect on the study choice. - to understand the organization of the faculty of architecture with its departments and to understand the emphasis in teaching and research of the different departments. - to analyze architecture and urban space analytically with the help of drawings. to understand the sketch as an elementary tool for architectural creation. - to look at the built environment from a certain point of view. - to develop an idea about activities within the occupational field. - to deal with the breadth of the professional field. - to do research. - to work together in teams. - to recognize and reflect the most important statements from texts and writings on architecture. - to name the characteristics of the professional environment and to classify the performance profiles (artists, technicians, managers). - to develop a concept for a creative task and to formulate it. - to assess their own suitability for architectural thinking and work. - to abstract and to establish the connection between two- and three-dimensional thinking. - to observe, to perceive, to reflect, to research, to discuss, to present and to visualize. - to assess oneself in terms of performance in comparison to the other students and to recognize strengths and weaknesses.

The module begins with a blocked workshop (tutorial + orientation course) from Monday 29 September 2025 to Friday 3 October 2025.

As an initial orientation, the tutorial, lectures and workshops will provide an overview of the content of professional practice and study programmes.

As part of the workshops (three different workshops per group: Workshop days: 1.10, 2.10 and 3.10) you will deal with the subject of existing buildings and gain initial experience of the ways of thinking and working in architecture. This is not just about the “craft” of architecture, but also about its theory, history, etc. The activities that are practised on the basis of analyses and an initial design include observation, perception, reflection, research, discussion, presentation and visualisation. The tasks are set in such a way that basic skills of abstraction, two- and three-dimensional thinking and dealing with design are brought to bear in the course of and as a result of the exercises.

The lectures provide an initial insight into the organisation of the faculty (institutes and their focus in teaching and research), the structure of the degree course and the demands placed on students, while further lectures present professional fields and the professional profile of architects.