Sustainable future: Public lectures at Saarland University!

Sustainable future: Public lectures at Saarland University!

Saarland University has put together an exciting calendar of events for the 2025 summer semester that covers both academic and social topics. Starting May 5, weekly public lectures will be offered, covering a wide range from literature to sustainability to European identity.

The Saarland University reports that the first lecture of the literature series lecture series will take place on Monday, May 5th, at 7 p.m. in the ballroom of the Saarbrücken town hall. Speaker Professor Martin Meiser (Protestant Theology) will deal with the “images of God and humanity, the myth and the human in Thomas Mann's 'Joseph and his Brothers'”. Admission to this event is free.

Diverse topics related to sustainability

As part of the lecture series “Spaceship Earth – Sustainability” on Tuesday, May 6th, Professor Volker Presser from the INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials will speak at 5:15 p.m. in the chemistry lecture hall building. Its topic, “Batteries and Sustainability”, is supplemented by the option of online participation. At the same time, at 6:15 p.m., Professor Bastian Popp will give a lecture on “Sustainability as an opportunity for retail” in the Audimax. Here too, online participation is possible upon request.

On Wednesday, May 7th, Europe Visiting Professor Elżbieta Opiłowska will give a lecture entitled “Narratives of Europe in Times of Disruptions” at the Innovation Center. The lecture will be held in English and promises to provide exciting perspectives. Finally, on Friday, May 9th, the online lecture “Child protection in theory and practice” is on the program, led by Professor Eva Möhler, at 1 p.m. on Microsoft Teams.

Further details about the events can be found on the website university to find.

Sustainability in construction

In the context of sustainability, the construction sector is playing an increasingly central role. The demolition of buildings not only creates debris, but also results in enormous waste of energy, for example by burning wood and melting steel. Scientists from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the Technical University of Munich are developing innovative solutions to make the reuse of components sustainable.

How The knowledge reports, it requires a radical rethinking process within the industry. Professor Thomas Ummenhofer from KIT emphasizes that demolition companies often do not have the necessary tools for sustainable practice. Only through strategic and planned dismantling can materials such as steel beams and wooden beams be used for future projects.

Legal obstacles, particularly liability issues and building law requirements, make it difficult to reuse load-bearing components. But researchers are proposing new business models to enable legally compliant reuse and thus advance the circular economy in construction. Current processes such as mechanical, thermal and chemical recycling to recover raw materials are becoming increasingly important and projects such as the “Recycling House” in Amsterdam show that the use of recycled materials is practical.

Better approaches to construction

Another contribution to the discussion is the book series “Better – Less – Building Differently”, which deals comprehensively with the topic of sustainable building. The first volume deals comprehensively with the concept of the circular economy in construction. Loud nbau.org This addresses the need for efficiency, sufficiency and consistency.

The volume, published by Birkhäuser, looks at historical examples and shows how past ecological disasters have influenced today's approaches to sustainable construction. The authors highlight the importance of concepts such as “Cradle to Cradle,” which distinguishes between biological and technical cycles. The discussion about measurable ecological and social impacts as well as innovative techniques in construction underline the urgency of change.

Overall, current developments in the construction industry show that innovative technologies and legal frameworks are crucial to achieving sustainable construction and supporting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).