Reallabor ZEKIWA Zeitz

New European Bauhaus (NEB)
2025–2027

The site of the former, legendary ZEKIWA pram factory in Zeitz is also the core of the real-world laboratory for the development of an aesthetically exemplary and sustainable, circular and climate-neutral building for the revitalisation of the industrial monument according to the criteria of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) “beautiful – sustainable – together”. For the first time, the project is linked to another European programme for a socially just transition and to mitigate the negative consequences of the coal phase-out, the Just Transition Fund (JTF).

It is therefore about more than just building: it is about building as a process for society as a whole in harmony with our environment.

In terms of methodology and ideas, this brings us full circle to the historic Bauhaus and its workshops. Back then, too, building was symbolically at the centre of the legendary school’s curriculum as a testing ground and as a design task for social change. The Bauhaus drew its energy and innovations from its interdisciplinary workshops and international networks.

The structure of the Reallabor ZEKIWA Zeitz is similar. It consists of a multidisciplinary consortium that brings together various scientific disciplines. These include Hochschule Anhalt of Applied Sciences, the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and Forum Rathenau. The participating faculties range from design and engineering sciences to humanities, social sciences and cultural studies. Together with the city of Zeitz and its citizens, the core team forms the centre around the ZEKIWA site.