01.07.2026

Continuing Education in Historic Preservation

Building design

A seminar participant during a construction measurement exercise. Photo: © Johannesberg Deanery

Preserving, restoring, and sustainably developing historic buildings requires in-depth expertise. That is why two part-time continuing education programs in historic preservation will begin in September at the Propstei Johannesberg in Fulda: the seminar series “Architects and Planners in Historic Preservation” and the certificate program “Structural Engineers in Historic Preservation,” which is unique in Germany. Both programs combine academic fundamentals with a strong practical component and allow participants to enroll at any time.

More than 50 percent of all construction projects in Germany involve the renovation of existing buildings or historic preservation. As a result, working with existing buildings has long since become one of the most important fields of activity for architects, planners, and engineers. At the same time, the demands for the professional handling of historic building stock are increasing. However, the necessary knowledge is often not taught in academic programs with the required depth. Anyone who wishes to responsibly preserve buildings of historical and cultural significance will therefore benefit from targeted specialization. This is precisely where the two part-time continuing education programs, which will be offered starting in September at the Propstei Johannesberg, come in.

Expertise for Architects and Planners in the Renovation of Existing Buildings

The continuing education course “Architects and Planners in Historic Preservation” was developed to prepare architects and planners for their responsible role in construction projects involving historic buildings and cultural monuments. The goal is to train competent partners for existing building management and to teach the proper handling of building structures worthy of preservation.
The seminar series was conceived in close collaboration with the Hessian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, the Hessian Chamber of Architects and Urban Planners, and Propstei Johannesberg gGmbH. An independent group of independent architects, art historians, and experts in historic preservation continuously refines the content. This ensures that the continuing education program remains closely aligned with practical requirements.
The seminar series comprises a total of twelve seminar weeks spread over a period of three years. Four seminar weeks are held each year. In terms of content, the continuing education program prepares architects for the central and coordinating role they play in construction projects involving existing buildings—from planning through construction management. The theoretical content is supplemented by exercises and field trips. This not only provides participants with in-depth knowledge but also teaches them how to apply it directly in practice.
A particular advantage is the flexible structure of the program. Participants can join the ongoing seminar series at any time. If individual seminar blocks cannot be attended, they can easily be made up later. Members of the Chamber of Architects and Urban Planners of Hesse, as well as members of other chambers where applicable, receive continuing education credits in accordance with their respective chamber regulations. The cost is 780 euros per weekly block, including lunch, beverages, and seminar materials. Members of the Chamber of Architects and Urban Planners of Hesse receive a 10 percent discount.

Certificate Program for Structural Engineers in Historic Preservation

Also beginning in September is the certificate program “Structural Engineer in Historic Preservation.” This seminar series, unique in Germany, is aimed at engineers who wish to specifically expand their knowledge in the field of historic buildings.
Structural reinforcements play a crucial role in the preservation of historic buildings. At the same time, they can compromise the historic fabric if not carefully planned. Structural engineers therefore shoulder a significant responsibility: they identify damage, inspect structures, assess their condition, develop solutions, and oversee the implementation of these measures. In doing so, they must give equal consideration to technical requirements and the needs of historic preservation.
The seminar series was developed in collaboration with the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments in Hesse and the Hesse Chamber of Engineers. The program is led by experienced engineers who have been active in the field of historic preservation for many years. Their experience is incorporated into the seminars, as is the professional exchange with participants.
The program provides knowledge about the structural behavior of historic building structures and their material properties. In addition, participants learn about condition surveys, preliminary structural investigations, computational analyses, and the planning of necessary repairs and additional structures in a manner compatible with historic preservation. The seminar series consists of eight seminar blocks, each lasting three days, and spans one and a half years. A certificate is issued for each completed seminar block; upon successful completion of all modules, participants receive a certificate of completion. In addition, continuing education credits or course units are awarded in accordance with the respective professional association’s regulations.

Gain Specialization While Working and Demonstrate Professional Competence

Particularly in the field of historic buildings, demonstrating specific qualifications is becoming increasingly important. For structural engineers, participation in the seminar series is a key factor in determining the scope of insurance coverage under professional liability insurance. Anyone who plans and oversees work on historic buildings must be able to demonstrate that they possess the necessary knowledge of historic preservation. This continuing education program imparts this specialized knowledge and helps participants document their qualifications over the long term.
The cost of the certificate program is 650 euros per seminar block. The price includes seminar materials, lunch, and beverages. Here, too, participants can join the ongoing seminar series at any time.
With these two continuing education programs, the Johannesberg Provostry in Fulda offers a practical opportunity to gain targeted qualifications for renovation and restoration of existing buildings. Close collaboration with the Hessian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, the Hessian Chamber of Architects and Urban Planners, and the Hessian Chamber of Engineers ensures a high level of professional quality and a consistent focus on practical application. Whether in architecture, planning, or structural engineering—anyone wishing to specialize in historic preservation will gain the necessary knowledge here to professionally preserve historic buildings and responsibly carry out construction projects on cultural monuments.

18.12.2024

Zaha Hadid builds Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium – but not after all

Building design

News

Back to square one in Tokyo: Zaha Hadid Architects will not be building the central stadium for the 2020 Olympic Games after all.

It’s back to square one in Tokyo: Zaha Hadid Architects will not be building the central stadium for the 2020 Olympic Games after all. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has now declared that the entire process will be reset to zero for cost reasons. “We are starting all over again,” the Guardian quotes the Japanese politician as saying. So there will probably be a new competition.
Ultimately, however, the ever-increasing construction costs are likely to be just one reason for the decision. Architecturally, the extravagant building (Hadid, that is) also came in for a lot of criticism – not least from other architects. Arata Isozaki had described Hadid’s design as a turtle just waiting for Japan to sink into the sea so it could swim away. Pritzker Prize winner Fumihiko Maki had organized a symposium against the design, which was attended by Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma and Sou Fujimoto, among others. A petition against the building was also initiated.
Patrik Schumacher, the first architect in Zaha Hadid’s office, apparently holds this architect-dominated counter-movement partly responsible for the decision. He wrote on Facebook: “Maki and Ito will be remembered for this.”

30.10.2024

The center of Berlin remains green

Building design

The perspective shows the planned steps on the banks of the Spree. — 1st prize to Büro RMP Lenzen: Steps on the banks of the Spree with a view of the cathedral (Visualization: RMP Lenzen)

RMP Stephan Lenzen win the open space competition for the City Hall and Marx-Engels-Forum in Berlin: The office won against 52 other entries.

It’s all about a prominent area in Berlin’s historic center: sandwiched between the new Humboldt Forum and the television tower, the Rathaus- and Marx-Engels-Forum are getting a new design. The RMP Stephan Lenzen office has won the competition for the green center of Berlin.

Where the roots of the city of Berlin lie, there will soon be no new construction. The open spaces of the Rathaus-Forum and Marx-Engels-Forum will remain green. However, the area will be given a new design, which will result in a flight of steps leading down to the adjacent Spree. The Berlin Senate Administration invited people to take part in a competition in the spring. After an initial phase, citizens were allowed to have their say. A total of 21 landscape architecture firms then developed their ideas further in the second phase of the competition. The landscape architects from RMP Stephan Lenzen ultimately won over the jury. They proposed a central ribbon that connects listed areas of the Rathausforum with the Marx-Engels-Forum. This green ribbon ends in a large staircase on the banks of the Spree. Opposite, on the other side of the water, the eastern façade of the new Humboldt Forum shines.

The open space in the middle of old Berlin used to be called “Park an der Spree”. As one of the most central green spaces in the Mitte district, it dates back to the Second World War. It damaged the Heilig-Geist-Viertel, which ultimately prompted the GDR leadership to demolish it. Since then, the area between Karl-Liebknecht-Straße in the north, the park by the television tower in the east, Rathausstraße in the south and the Spree in the west has remained undeveloped. For a long time, there was an ensemble of monuments in the middle of the area, but this had to be moved to the north-western edge when the subway was built. The future of the Marx-Engels Forum has been under discussion since the 1990s. The ideas were many and varied. They ranged from the reconstruction of the Heilig-Geist-Viertel to the design of a park at the Marx-Engels-Forum. The latter ultimately prevailed.

Marx-Engels-Forum competition brief

The design of a park on the Marx-Engels-Forum now had to be fleshed out as part of the ideas and realization competition. The participants were asked to engage with the place where Berlin was founded, the historical layers hidden in the ground and the surrounding area. At the end of the long debate about the future of this site, citizens’ guidelines for the future development of the Rathaus Forum and the Marx-Engels Forumwere drawn up . These guidelines state that an open space should be designed that does justice to the dimensions and significance of the location and strengthens the identity of the site. In addition, it should bring the eventful history to life and at the same time enable diverse and intensive uses.

In the first phase, the competition initially asked for a vision and an idea for the entire Marx-Engels-Forum. Only the participants in the second phase had to derive their vision. In addition, they outlined an intermediate state for the year 2030 in the ideas part of the competition. In a third realization part, the concrete implementation for 2024 was then to be shown. This step-by-step approach is based on the intended gradual realization of the project. This will take a long time. Accordingly, the ideas must be based on a clear approach and offer a great deal of flexibility for process-based implementation.

The landscape architects from RMP Lenzen provided the most convincing solution for the new design of the Rathaus- and Marx-Engels-Forum. They designed an open space that is characterized by a striking figure. The plan is to keep the Rathaus- and Marx-Engels-Forum free of buildings. The green space promises a high quality of stay with areas for strolling, relaxing and enjoying spectacular views of the cathedral, Humboldt Forum and television tower. RMP Lenzen is equipping the new space with plenty of greenery and lots of shady trees. But water is also included, which contributes to cooling as well as infiltration areas that fit in with future rainwater management. Overall, the contribution to the Marx-Engels-Forum competition envisages a modern, climate-resilient urban space that enables a variety of uses.

Good things take time

The idea of initially creating a green space in the heart of old Berlin preserves opportunities for future generations. For the near future, the jury recommended that the first prize-winning work by RMP Lenzen be realized. This brings a controversial debate to an end. Hardly any other place in Berlin has experienced more planning and discussions than the Marx-Engels-Forum. But for the building senator, it is clear that the city of Berlin has done the right thing. After the fall of the Wall, it did not rush into planning. Now, against the backdrop of current plans for Alexanderplatz and Molkenmarkt and against the backdrop of climate adaptation and the mobility turnaround, things can be designed in peace.

Would you like to find out more about projects in the capital? We have summarized the next planning steps on the former Berlin Tegel airport site for you.