Institute of History of Art, Building Archaeology and Restoration

Three sections merge in the Institute: “History of Art”, “Building Archaeology and Research”, and “Restoration – Monument Preservation and Building in Existing Structures”. The sections complement one another and offer an education that is broad-based in theory and oriented on praxis. It not only analyses and investigates the historical circumstances in retrospect, but also provides pioneering groundwork with a view to the contemporary professional practice of architecture. The main aim here is to convey the relationships between architecture and art-historical movements and their significance for the present day. Just as central are the methods of surveying, analysing and documenting existing building structures, also the strategies and techniques for preserving and using restoration-relevant buildings and ensembles. The Institute conducts specific and, as a rule, study course-related research on basics and practical issues on a national and international level. The attention to an appropriate treatment of existing building structures and their history is of great relevance, especially in the context of the debate about sustainability and saving resources. In this respect, the knowledge provided by the institute concerns the interrelations between architectural developments during the individual epochs of the West and the non-European sphere, their building principles and constructional potentials, as well as the expert, appropriate treatment of existing building structures –  knowledge that is virtually indispensable and forms the prerequisite for the design process and creative innovation.

Head of Institute