Versuchsgut Dornburg – Experiments in Sustainable Tectonics

A transformative exploration of sustainable architecture

In the heart of Dornburg, a unique architectural experiment is unfolding. Versuchsgut Dornburg – Experiments in Sustainable Tectonics is an ambitious project led by students from Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, in collaboration with the local architectural office exnovum and the Landesentwicklungsgesellschaft Thüringen (LEG). This initiative seeks to breathe new life into the former Domäne Dornburg, transforming it into a vibrant space for learning and experimentation.

The project began with the incremental transformation of a former cowshed into a hub for transdisciplinary exploration. This space now serves as a platform for alternative and collective design, planning, and construction processes. The project challenges the conventional linear approach to architecture, instead embracing a design-based research methodology that prioritizes process and experimentation.

By focusing on sustainable strategies such as material cycles, reversible construction techniques, and openness to appropriation, the project redefines the architectural narrative. It views challenges like resource scarcity and existing structures not as hindrances, but as opportunities for innovation and expression. This approach highlights the processual, fragmentary, and unfinished as valuable architectural qualities.

Design Highlights

• Incremental transformation of existing rural structures

• Emphasis on transdisciplinary collaboration and experimentation

• Focus on sustainable strategies and material cycles

• Reversible construction techniques

• Open-ended planning processes

Key Facts