SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- July 07, 2026 -- Architecture publications md and db will host the fourth edition of their joint symposium series "anders! bauen im Bestand" on July 15, 2026, at the Hospitalhof in Stuttgart, with a parallel livestream option. The program centers entirely on renovation and adaptive reuse this year, bringing together architects, engineers and manufacturers to address resource-conscious, circular building and energy-efficient retrofitting. Speakers will present both conceptual frameworks and completed projects, including the redevelopment of Stuttgart's former Breitling department store into the newly opened Haus des Tourismus. The event carries continuing-education recognition from the Chamber of Architects of Baden-Württemberg.
Haus des Tourismus Anchors the Opening Keynote
Architects Cem Arat of asp Architekten and Peter Ippolito of Ippolito Fleitz Group open the technical program with a joint presentation on the Haus des Tourismus project. The building preserves the structural core of a 1950s department store while adding a new facade and a mixed-use program of hospitality, tourism information and workspace. Organizers describe the project as a deliberate effort to restore the surrounding square as a place of urban life. Retaining the existing structure rather than demolishing it forms the central design decision behind the scheme.
IBA'27 Sets the Stage With a Preview of Its Exhibition Year
Before the technical sessions begin, IBA'27 managing director Gabriele König and project lead Franziska Bettac deliver an opening address on the upcoming IBA'27 exhibition program. Their talk frames the day's later sessions within a broader regional push toward transformation-focused building practice. This placement signals how closely the symposium organizers are tying local renovation case studies to the wider IBA'27 initiative running across the region.
Serial Renovation Emerges as a Scalable Answer for Aging Building Stock
Jan Krause, a professor at Hochschule Bochum's Architecture Media Management program, presents on serial renovation as a scalable route to upgrading existing buildings. His session aims to place recent developments in this field into a wider practical context for the audience. The talk sits among several presentations that treat renovation less as a one-off design problem and more as a repeatable process.
ZÜBLIN and STRABAG Present a Circular Building Test Case
Ricarda Metelmann-Scholz of ZÜBLIN's central technical division and Marija Orlovic-Mallmann of STRABAG jointly present the Z2.0 project as a driver of circular and innovative construction. The case study covers reuse, high-grade recycling and the testing of new construction and fit-out systems within existing buildings. Their presentation runs under the companies' joint BESTAND BEYOND brand. A short break follows before the program resumes with a project retrospective and panel discussion.
Twenty Years of Stewardship Leads Into a Circular Collaboration Panel
Renate Steckbauer of Plan 7 Architekten shares two decades of experience maintaining a single building through continual change under the session title "We care." The day then moves into a panel discussion, "CircleNow," on how collaboration across planning, construction and interior fit-out can support circularity. Panelists include Matthias Quinkert of Lindner Group, Monika Berghammer of Die Planstelle, Jan Oelze of pro m2 and Thilo Weinland of projekt//partner, moderated by Johanna Neves Pimenta. Pimenta also serves as editor-in-chief of md and, together with db editor-in-chief Emre Onur, moderates the symposium's opening and closing segments.
Program Runs Into the Evening With a Networking Close
The technical program begins at 5:00 p.m. and runs through the Haus des Tourismus keynote at 7:15 p.m., followed by a get-together from around 8:15 p.m. and a formal close near 10:00 p.m. Materials, digital working methods and construction techniques for building within existing stock recur as themes across the individual sessions. The event's continuing-education status applies to Chamber of Architects members and to architecture and interior architecture trainees in the Baden-Württemberg region.