Podcast: The Influence of 1918 Pandemic on Design

The European Commission plans to create new design schools modelled on Bauhaus as part of the EU’s €750bn coronavirus recovery plan. Journalist Alexander Love considers in his Design & Build Review article what the proposal could bring to European architecture in the post-Covid world. He has talked to Uwe Schmidt-Hess about his views about the future of construction and discusses those in his article.

Responsive Buildings

“I think buildings will be more dynamic, they’ll be more responsive, they’ll be able to adapt more and be more flexible. That will happen through the integration of intelligence in the building fabric. We will have sensors embedded, which will then trigger motion or adaptability, or responsiveness. So, a building could look much different in the winter than it does in the summer or the spring. It’s a bit like an animal, which has thicker fur in the winter than it does in the summer. I think that will influence the aesthetics.”
Uwe Schmidt-Hess

New European Bauhaus

European leaders are taking inspiration from the past to meet the needs of the future, as the continent seeks to recover from the coronavirus while meeting ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Called NextGenerationEU, the EU’s €750bn Covid-19 recovery package is intended to enable carbon emissions cuts of 55% by 2030. Unveiling the scheme, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also announced plans for a New Bauhaus design school to foster the creation of carbon-neutral architecture in EU member states.
In order to determine the type of projects that should be pursued by the New Bauhaus, the European Commission intends to consult architects, artists, scientists and tech firms. Initial feedback from this consultation could be presented from mid-2021.