Beech Technology
Design Research Seminar
2025
Beech Technology is a seminar series exploring beech timber as an architectural material at a moment of structural transformation in German forestry. As spruce stocks decline sharply in response to climate-related damage, beech — covering 16.6% of Germany's total forest area — is emerging as a critical and underutilised resource for sustainable construction.
Students investigate beech in its full range: from its ecological role in the mixed-forest transition currently underway across Germany, to its structural and material properties, to its potential in contemporary architectural and engineering applications. The seminar combines theoretical grounding with hands-on exploration, asking how a shift in forest composition might drive — and demand — a corresponding shift in building culture.
c Jörg Behrens, SPENI
Project Credits:
Lina Arlt, Marian Bötzl, Milena Dunayevska, Esmail Fada, Raphael Fritz, Viola Gräf, Leah Köhne, Julian Löffler, Hannah Emilia Maratzki, Florain Planert (Students)
Vivienne Gladitz, Lukas Malz (Course Tutors)
Sascha Lummitsch, Gerd Tröstrum (Partners)
Frank Bauer, Markus Lager (Direction)
Project Credits:
Lina Arlt, Marian Bötzl, Milena Dunayevska, Esmail Fada, Raphael Fritz, Viola Gräf, Leah Köhne, Julian Löffler, Hannah Emilia Maratzki, Florain Planert (Students)
Vivienne Gladitz, Lukas Malz (Course Tutors)
Sascha Lummitsch, Gerd Tröstrum (Partners)
Frank Bauer, Markus Lager (Direction)