Unbuilding Hetzer
Transfer Project
2025 –
As a starting point to this running design research seminar series, a 14-meter, Otto Hetzer glulam truss from 1911 was carefully dismantled, 3D scanned, and transported to SPENI. Students and researchers engage directly with the structure, exploring material recovery, hybrid reuse, and experimental fabrication at full scale.
This anchors the research and teaching activities of the Unbuilding Group, an inter-university network connecting SPENI/FH Erfurt, TU Berlin, Hochschule München, UdK Berlin, HU Berlin/MoA, and other partners. The project exemplifies collaborative exploration of circular construction, sustainable timber use, digital methods, and craft-based knowledge, with the truss serving as both teaching object and catalyst for hybrid experimentation.
Image Credits: c Jörg Behrens, Moritz Mosch, SPENI
Project Credits:
Marian Bötzl, David Fiedler, Ingo Nägle, Jan Reichenhardt, Hannah Riethmueller, Christiane Siebert, Sara Javadi, Masoud Kamalimajd, Julian Lieser, Annalena Sass, Matthias Schott (Students); Lea-Sophie Krueger, Maximilian Malz, Hanna Staebler (Tutors)
Anna Bajanova, Frank Bauer, Jens Casper, Markus Lager (Direction)