© PR-BI, Lippmann

Diversity Meets Sustainability – under this theme, our team from the Collaborative Research Center 1683 Modular Reuse took part in the “Geistesblitz” Science Festival on Friday, the 25th of September. 

Organized by UniverCity Bochum, the event aimed to bring scientific ideas out of the lecture halls and laboratories and into direct dialogue with the public, transforming the city center into a lively meeting point for science culture and community engagement. Visitors encountered an inspiring mix of talks, workshops, exhibitions, hands‑on experiments, DJ sets, food stands and creative activities. Whether current students, alumni, families, or people with little prior connection to academia, attendees were invited to explore new perspectives and engage with researchers in an open atmosphere.

We contributed with our Concrete Experiment Station, an interactive setup designed to spark curiosity about the material that quite literally shapes our built environment. Our team showcased how concrete can be understood as a resource whose use must be reconsidered in light of global challenges such as resource scarcity, environmental impact or the need for sustainable building practices.

Visitors learned how sustainability and reuse are central to our research. How can structural systems be created from reused building components? How do characterization methods ensure that these components remain safe and reliable? And how do digital tools and automation interconnect in the circular construction processes to make modular reuse feasible at scale?

We thank all visitors for their enthusiasm and curiosity, as well as UniverCity Bochum for the organization of the event and look forward to continuing the conversation about how scientific innovation can shape the cities of tomorrow.