Architecture Tour 2026 at Alanus University
Students design future strategies for the city of tomorrow

Architecture Tour 2026 at Alanus University

Students design future strategies for the city of tomorrow

How can cities be designed to be climate-resilient, socially just, and fit for the future? What role does architecture play in the tension between the climate crisis, structural change, and the question of how limited urban space should be used in the future? Students from the Department of Architecture at Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences will present answers to these questions at the “Architecture Tour 2026” on Thursday, 2 July, from 3:30 p.m. at Campus II – Villestraße in Alfter.

As part of the event, the doors will open for an exhibition of current bachelor’s and master’s projects. Through models, drawings, and conversations, the students will provide insights into their design and research projects, which address key challenges in building and construction – from climate-adapted urban development and the transformation of existing structures to new forms of communal living.

One focus is a project on Keupstraße in Cologne, which in recent years has repeatedly been discussed as one of the “hottest streets in Germany.” Here, the students are developing strategies for structural transformation approaches toward a climate-resilient urban landscape 2030+. Particular attention is paid to the increasing sealing of surfaces, which intensifies overheating, places pressure on the water balance, and reduces the quality of stay in public space.

Another project is dedicated to the village of Keyenberg in the area surrounding the Garzweiler open-cast mine. At its center is the reactivation of the historic Claessen Hof as a spatial and social anchor point for community and quality of life in a region shaped by structural change. The listed Melb estate in Bonn is also being reimagined: students are developing a spatial concept for a local initiative for a public-interest-oriented center for education, culture, ecological transformation, and encounter.

In addition, questions of social integration and spatial fragmentation are being addressed: a design for the Cologne-Porz Finkenberg district examines how architecture can overcome spatial isolation and enable new forms of urban encounter. With “FORD 2.0,” one student is ultimately developing visions for the transformation of the Ford plants in Cologne-Niehl and thus for the future handling of large-scale industrial sites in transition

A highlight of the tour is the brief presentation of the projects in direct exchange with visitors, as well as the award ceremony for the best final projects.

Prof. Willem-Jan Beeren, Dean of the Department of Architecture, emphasizes the special significance of the event: “For our students, the tour is the crowning conclusion of their studies. At the same time, it offers the public a special opportunity to experience firsthand how architecture at Alanus University is conceived and developed as a social practice – open, experimental, and in dialogue with people and the environment.”

The tour program is public and free of charge – everyone interested is warmly invited! The meeting point is the foyer at Campus II.

Event details:
Thursday, 2 July 2026
Campus II of Alanus University
Villestraße 3, 53347 Alfter

Program:
3:30 p.m. Exhibition of final projects
5:00 p.m. Awards and summer festival

Contact for press inquiries:
+49 (0)2222 9321-1944
presse@alanus.edu