Graz Architecture Lectures 2025 – “Positionen”

How can architecture respond to climate change through building? And how must the discipline evolve in order to do so? In 2025, the Graz Architecture Lectures adopted a revised format: curated jointly by Lukas Imhof (Institute of Architecture Technology) and Moritz Müller (GAM.Lab), the lecture series opened its academic discourse to practitioners from Graz and the wider region across three themed evenings. The program invited audiences to engage with the positions of individuals whose architectural practice addresses tasks, strategies, and approaches that can help confront today’s climatic challenges and contribute to a more resilient architectural future: Adapting—Reusing—Building Simply (Anew).

The series opened in April with Claudia Cavallar and Hermann Czech, who spoke about the pleasures and possibilities of adapting existing buildings—an area of work that will increasingly occupy us, as it remains the most immediate way to reduce emissions while preserving architectural culture. In May, Pascal Angehrn of the Zurich‑based firm baubüro in situ and Sonja Zumpfe of BauKarussell in Vienna explored the opportunities and complexities of reusing building components as a mode of construction that operates between adapting and building anew. The third evening in June featured Lisa Maria Enzenhofer (Breathe Earth Collective, Graz) and Florian Nagler (TU Munich), who examined how new construction still remains a feasible approach today—and how the idea of “building simply,” grounded in tradition and reduction, can generate future‑oriented architecture and landscape design. All three events were very well attended and sparked lively conversations—during the evening gatherings with drinks after each event and in the following weeks—within the faculty and, hopefully, well beyond.

Lukas Imhof