Depuis 2013, des étudiant.e.s en architecture et enseignant.e.s de l'INSA Strasbourg, de la Hochschule Konstanz, de l'Artez Arnhem et de l'ENSA Strasbourg se réunissent chaque année en été pour travailler sur des sujets liés aux bords de l'eau. Depuis 2023, les collègues et étudiant.e.s de Rome, Karlsruhe et Darmstadt ont rejoint l'équipe.
La Summerschool
de cette année 2025 était placée sous le signe de l’utopie :
Les crises multiples que nous connaissons actuellement ainsi que les envies d’utopies qu’elles peuvent susciter, étaient le sujet de travail pendant le 4 jours de la 12ème Summerschool, qui s’est tenue à Konstanz du 28 août au 1 er septembre.
Nous avons démarré avec une soirée conviviale pour faire connaissance et constituer les équipes par tirage au sort.
Le lendemain les collègues de Konstanz, Andreas Schwarting et Leo Schenk ainsi que leurs étudiantes ont donné une introduction au sujet :
Ensuite, les équipes se sont mises au travail pour inventer des nouvelles manières de vivre au bord du Rhin et du lac … sans limites de formats : films, livres , récits, peinture, performances …
les premières présentations :
Excursion à Friedrichshafen au musée Zeppelin le samedi matin, qui a inspiré pas mal d’équipes !
Les équipes au travail :
Le rendu des différents travaux était attendu et témoignait d’une très grande créativité : livre lu « au coin du feu », une histoire d’amour entre Luca et Constanza relatant leurs aventures …
… une performance immersive et poétique , un projet d’une cité pacifique sous l’eau ou une peinture montrant des bulles d’habitation intergalactiques ….
La présentation du lundi matin a été introduite par Sabine Rein, la présidente de la HTWG Konstanz témoignant de la grande implication de la Hochschule dans ce projet international : reconnaissance du travail effectué, envie de continuer à le soutenir et surtout un grand merci à toutes les personnes impliquées … Ce témoignage m’a personnellement très touchée. Je me permets alors d’en reproduire quelques lignes :
Good morning, everyone,
A very warm welcome to our students from France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany – you are the heart of this Summer School. And a warm greeting also to our colleagues from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Strasbourg, the Institut Nationale des Sciences Appliquées de Strasbourg, the Università degli Studi Roma Tre, the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Arnhem, as well as from the TU Darmstadt, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and, of course, from the HTWG Konstanz. It is wonderful to have you all gathered here.
We are especially pleased that colleagues from TU Darmstadt and KIT are joining us as guests today, even though they did not bring their students this year. Your presence enriches this academic exchange, and we thank you for making the journey to be with us.
This Summer School carries the inspiring motto:
“Beyond Crisis. Reinventing Utopia.”
The aim has been nothing less than to imagine the city of Konstanz in the distant future – to think boldly, creatively, and even utopically about how our society, our culture, our architecture, and our urban spaces might evolve. Along the Rhine, several areas were identified as experimental fields – places where new visions for living, building, and coexisting could be tested, reinterpreted, and projected far into tomorrow.
As we all know, the Rhine has always been more than a river. It is a connector between cultures, countries, and ideas. It is also a mirror of Europe’s challenges and opportunities – ecological, social, and economic. By working here together in Konstanz, you have not only explored spatial and architectural questions, but also the deeper question of what kind of future we want to create – beyond crisis, toward new utopias.
As Konstanz University of Applied Sciences, we are proud of our international profile. Our university thrives on cooperation with partners across Europe and beyond. We believe that projects like this Summer School are at the very heart of academic life: they combine international exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration, and creative exploration. For us, this is not just an addition to our regular curriculum – it is an essential way of learning and teaching. The diversity of perspectives that you bring here is what makes such work so inspiring and so valuable.
Over the past days, you have collaborated across disciplines, languages, and cultures. This in itself is a remarkable achievement. Summer Schools like this one are not only about projects and designs, but also about building networks, friendships, and shared visions. They remind us that architecture and urbanism are collective enterprises – shaped not by individuals alone, but by dialogue and cooperation.
Today we are excited to see your results – the culmination of intense work, critical discussions, and creative energy. We know that what you present may be daring, speculative, and provocative – and that is exactly the point. The future is not something we can predict; it is something we imagine, design, and shape.
I would like to thank all the teaching staff and colleagues from our partner institutions for your engagement, guidance, and long-standing cooperation. With our partners in Italy, France, and the Netherlands we share Erasmus agreements that have enriched our exchange for many years. Without this network, such a Summer School would not be possible.
Today we are excited to see your results – the culmination of intense work, critical discussions, and creative energy. We know that what you present may be daring, speculative, and provocative – and that is exactly the point. The future is not something we can predict; it is something we imagine, design, and shape.
I would like to thank all the teaching staff and colleagues from our partner institutions for your engagement, guidance, and long-standing cooperation. With our partners in Italy, France, and the Netherlands we share Erasmus agreements that have enriched our exchange for many years. Without this network, such a Summer School would not be possible.
Les équipes
… Thanks to all of you and see you next year in Arnhem !
