WATER EVER - BAVARIA

Bavaria, Germany

Now in its continued development, WATER EVER - BAVARIA expanded the studio's ongoing exploration of designing with water at the core during the Winter Semester 2025-2026. Building on previous semesters within the Chair of Architectural Design and Participation, the studio shifted its focus to the Bavarian context, examining the ways in which water shapes landscapes, settlements and everyday life in Central Europe. Each iteration of the series engages with new climatic and geographical conditions, contributing to an expanding body of research and design enquiry around water.

Across Bavaria, the impact of climate change is becoming increasingly evident through alternating periods of drought, flooding and groundwater stress. Rivers, alpine watersheds, agricultural landscapes and urban environments all demonstrate the multifaceted nature of water as both a resource and a risk. The studio addressed these challenges by exploring water as a driver of architectural, urban and landscape design.

Bachelor's and Master's students investigated a variety of sites and conditions across the region. Projects explored experimental typologies and strategies, including rainwater retention systems, flood-adaptive architecture, water-sensitive urban spaces and agricultural water infrastructures. Working across scales, from architectural elements to territorial strategies, the students developed proposals that responded to the environmental, social and cultural realities of their chosen contexts.

WATER EVER - BAVARIA continues the studio series' commitment to researching resilient design approaches and unconventional water systems, engaging with the communities and landscapes that they shape. The projects demonstrate how architecture can facilitate new approaches to understanding, managing and inhabiting water in an era of climatic uncertainty.