As part of the Schweinfurt Women’s Weeks from February 28 to March 28, 2015, the sculptor Steff Bauer presented her interpretation of the theme “Who am I?” in the exhibition “Ladies First”. Her sculpture made of Main sandstone deals with the existential questions of free will and the determinacy of human beings. Questions that poets and thinkers have […]

As part of the Schweinfurt Women’s Weeks from February 28 to March 28, 2015, the sculptor Steff Bauer presented her interpretation of the theme “Who am I?” in the exhibition “Ladies First”. Her sculpture made of Main sandstone deals with the existential questions of free will and the determinacy of human beings. Questions that have occupied poets and thinkers for centuries and which can probably never be fully clarified. A philosophical experience in stone. Steff Bauer describes and comments:

How does a person become the person they are? It has now been refuted that people develop largely as a result of their genetic make-up. Genetics certainly still plays a role, but the sum of the experiences and influences that a person makes in the course of their life is far more decisive. Childhood, environment, upbringing, education, encounters and relationships are decisive for the development of an individual.

I am interested in whether there are certain mechanisms that give people who grow up under difficult conditions the opportunity to lead a self-determined, happy life. “Resilience” is a keyword from psychology. I ask myself questions about the conscious or unconscious manipulation and influence of external factors on each individual: How free are we? Is there freedom or even free will? In the sculpture “Who am I?”, I depict these manipulations in a sometimes exaggerated and humorous way. For example, someone drills into my head with a jackhammer, elsewhere people with suitcases move into the back of my head and make themselves comfortable there. A woman (the mother) scrubs (the son’s?) face with great energy and perseverance: She polishes his image instead of showing him genuine love. This also refers to the growing focus on performance in today’s world.

The sculpture consists of nine equally sized, white-green Main sandstones – made of so-called Breitbrunn sandstone – symbolizing the building blocks from which a personality or a life can be composed. Of course, there could also be many more parts or the parts could be put together in a completely different way. For example, there is the lowest building block, childhood. A child sits alone with his stuffed animal in the cellar, the stairs to the cellar only lead downwards. There is one more box: this “treasure chest of childhood” remains closed because the child cannot develop its potential due to a lack of warmth, love and attention, i.e. due to neglect.

I had had the idea for this sculpture for a long time and realized it at a time when I felt very much determined by others, like a cue ball being hit across the field. Everyone has probably felt like that at some point. In my free works, I usually deal with topics that directly concern me, mainly human interactions and the resulting questions and consequences. The sculpture is about 70 centimeters high. It is thanks to the fine-pored Main sandstone from the quarries of the Graser natural stone works in Bamberg that it was possible to depict such delicate, detailed scenes with breakthroughs and so on. A great material! The scenes were partly carved out of the stone with a jackhammer, partly by hand and then polished by hand.

The exhibition “Ladies First”, created by curator Birgit Seidel, took place for the first time as part of the Schweinfurt Women’s Weeks. Seidel also selected the female artists for it. Even though I couldn’t be there, I think it was a good idea to exhibit only local, female artists. Unfortunately, the art sector is still somewhat “male-dominated”. This exhibition offered a good opportunity to show the exciting diversity of female artists. In terms of content, however, no theme was specified, so that every female artist could show whatever she wanted.

Thank goodness – we think, otherwise Steff Bauer might not have exhibited this sculpture showing the human abyss. Our sculpture of the month for April – it touches our innermost being. You can find out more about the artist here.

With the new Prestige University Indore, Sanjay Puri Architects has created a university complex that blends architecture, landscape, and social interaction into a cohesive spatial experience. Located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, this educational facility is not conceived as a monumental standalone building, but rather as an open, accessible topography designed for learning, social interaction, and public use.

On a 32-hectare campus in Indore, a building complex has been created that includes administrative offices, a library, an auditorium, seminar spaces, and a cafeteria, combining traditional Indian building typologies with contemporary sustainable architecture.

Architecture as a Walkable Landscape

Instead of creating a dominant university building, Prestige University Indore unfolds in terraced layers from the landscape. The five-story building rises diagonally, forming a publicly accessible rooftop landscape with numerous gathering areas.

The terraced levels simultaneously function as:

• open learning spaces
• event spaces
• social gathering spots
• open-air auditoriums

In total, the terraced platforms can accommodate up to 9,000 students at events, thereby creating a multifunctional public space within the campus.

Inspired by traditional Indian stepwells

The building’s design language is inspired by historic Indian stepwells, which have served for centuries as places for water, climate regulation, and social interaction.

Sanjay Puri Architects translates this principle into contemporary educational architecture: The building itself becomes social infrastructure, fostering exchange, communication, and communal activities.

The 463 terraced platforms form a rooftop garden spanning approximately 9,000 square meters, part of which is accessible to people with disabilities.

Climate-Responsive Architecture for Extreme Temperatures

Prestige University Indore is specifically designed to address the region’s hot climate, where temperatures range between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius for many months.

The sustainable building concept includes:

• naturally lit courtyards
• diagonal airflow
• open courtyards forcross-ventilationCross-ventilation: Cross-ventilation is a method of ventilating rooms. It involves opening windows on opposite sides of the room to draw fresh air through the space and expel stale air.
• passive shading systems
• minimized use of air conditioning

The northern light guidance system and the courtyards are based on traditional Indian architectural principles and significantly reduce the need for artificial lighting.

In addition, rear-ventilated GFRC facade elements protect the east, west, and south facades from direct heat exposure.

Open Interiors and Social Interaction

A diagonal internal street runs through the center of the building, connecting all functions and creating diverse spatial configurations.

The organization of the spaces follows a clear principle:

• Ground floor: auditorium, administration, and food court
• First floor: Library areas
• Second floor: Classrooms
• Third floor: Lecture halls
• Fourth floor: Faculty and administrative areas

Open courtyards and communal areas are created between the different sections, combining learning with social interaction.

Sustainable University Architecture with a Public Character

Prestige University Indore demonstrates how educational architecture can become a public and landscape-oriented experience. The building combines climate-responsive design with social openness, creating a new typology for sustainable university buildings in India.

With its accessible rooftop landscape, open communal spaces, and energy-efficient construction, the project serves as an example of how contemporary university architecture can intelligently integrate community, climate, and function.

Prestige University Indore, designed by Sanjay Puri Architects, views architecture not merely as a building, but as social and climatic infrastructure.

By combining landscape, education, and public space, the project creates a university that reinterprets learning, exchange, and community within a sustainable architectural framework.