EU award for Berlin students: Innovative project against forest fires!

EU award for Berlin students: Innovative project against forest fires!

On June 19, 2025, Carolina von Hammerstein and Vera Kellmann, master's students at the Institute of Architecture at the TU Berlin, awarded the prestigious EUmies Award Young Talent 2025. The honor went to her master's thesis entitled "FOREST & PHOENIX", which deals with innovative approaches to forest fire prevention and management. The EUmies Award, presented every two years by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe is awarded, honors outstanding theses in the fields of architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture and is supported by the Creative Europe program of the European Union.

The work by von Hammerstein and Kellmann deals with integrative forest fire fighting and the planning of a forest fire competence center in Brandenburg. Particular attention was paid to developing multidisciplinary approaches to make the complex causes and consequences of forest fires visible. This also includes a generally understandable book that provides specialist knowledge about forest fires, supplemented by a large-format map that shows various extinguishing techniques and preventative measures.

Forest fire competence center in Brandenburg

As part of their master's thesis, the two students designed a concept for a forest fire competence center in the Beelitz-Heilstätten. This central exchange location is intended to coordinate cooperation between forestry, fire services and science. The architectural design reinterprets the planning of the competence center and includes four hybrid structures that focus on different aspects of forest fire management. The aim is to transform individual knowledge into collective knowledge and to promote public participation.

The design also focuses on the sustainable use of materials. The architects investigated the possibility of integrating charred trees from the previous forest fires into the construction of the center. Special elements, such as an observation tower with modern camera technology, are intended to enable early detection of forest fires and make the center an interactive learning place for citizens.

Recognition at European level

The award ceremony took place as part of the Biennale Architettura 2025 in Venice. Other award-winning works include “Hotel Interim” by Andreas Stanzel from the Bauhaus University Weimar and “Brave New-Axis” from the Technical University of Athens. Glenn Micallef, Commissioner for Intergenerational Justice, Youth, Culture and Sport, congratulated the winners and underlined the importance of the award-winning projects for the future of architecture and the need to develop sustainable and inclusive concepts. A central concern of the awards is the visibility and support of necessary developments in architecture to address social needs.

Carolina von Hammerstein and Vera Kellmann's master's thesis exemplifies the growing trend of linking architectural solutions with social challenges. With their approach, they not only create a space for coordinating forest fire protection, but also make a valuable contribution to raising public awareness of the issue. Further information about the award-winning works can be found on the website EUmies Awards to find.