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Uzbekistan Project "Interdisciplinary on Buildings" successfully completed at Network Conference in Tashkent
The DAAD-funded project "Interdisciplinary on Buildings" has been successfully completed. The three construction disciplines of architecture and urban planning, civil engineering and conservation and restoration at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam were involved in the realisation of the project.
The 3-year DAAD-funded project "Interdisciplinary on Buildings" under the leadership of the International Office of the FHP and with the participation of the three construction disciplines of the FHP (Architecture and Urban Planning, Civil Engineering and Conservation and Restauration) was successfully concluded at the network conference on Friday, the 27th of October 2023 at the Tashkent University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (TAQU).
After being welcomed by the rector of the host university, Prof. Dr Eng. Ercan Kahya and the opening words and greetings from Volker Bley, former university chancellor, which he spoke in coordination with the President of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, Prof. Dr. Eva Schmitt-Rodermund, the first part of the network conference was dedicated to the memory of Prof. Dr. Abdukabil Tulaganov, who, as former Vice-Rector in Tashkent and Rector of the University of Bukhara, was instrumental in initiating the projects between Uzbekistan and the FHP over the past decades and coordinating them on the Uzbek side. Prof Dr Tulaganov sadly passed away in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Prof. Dr. Steffen Laue (FHP) and the Vice-Rector of Tashkent University Bakhrom Tulaganov paid tribute to the achievements of Prof. Dr. Tulaganov, who as a scientist and person helped to initiate, shape and maintain relations between the FHP and Uzbekistan on the Uzbek side for decades.
The second part of the network conference was dedicated to the results of the project "Interdisciplinary on the building". Project leader Prof. Dr. Steffen Laue (Department of CITY I BUILDING I CULTURE, Conservation and Restauration course) gave a positive summary of the results achieved, which demonstrated the good cooperation between the four universities over the last three years. In addition to the FHP and TAQU, the University of Bukhara and the Samarkand State Architecture and Construction University were also involved, all of which enriched the second part of the conference with their own contributions. During the project, five academics and four students from all participating universities in Uzbekistan were able to finance their stays at the FHP. The DAAD covered the transfer costs of teaching staff and a total of twelve students from the FHP to Uzbekistan over the three years. The highlight of the project was the two-week Summer School 2022 in Bukhara, the impressive results of which were presented by Lisa Hock, M. A. (Department of Civil Engineering, Building Conservation and Construction in Existing Contexts programme) in her vivid contribution. The results of the Summer School were compiled in an open access documentation by the Potsdam students involved in the Summer School and financed by the FHP's funding organisation.
The third part of the conference gave an outlook on the new project with Uzbekistan, which will take place from 2024 to 2026 and is again funded by the DAAD. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the DAAD for the new project funding. The project will focus on intensifying interdisciplinary cooperation with a total of six universities. We are excited about the interdisciplinary approach, as structural issues and social work issues will interact in this project. The FHP's Department of Social and Educational Sciences is therefore also taking part in the new project. The aim is to research structural and social changes in a residential neighbourhood – known as Mahalla in Uzbekistan – and to get to know the relationship of the residents to the architectural heritage more closely and to take their religious and social needs into account. Project leader Prof. Dr. Jörg Röder (Department of Civil Engineering) and Dr. Marit Cremer (Department of Social and Educational Sciences) presented the planned content of the new project. Uzbek scientists reported on their research work on the condition and development of various mahallas from Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent. The presentations showed that the Uzbek colleagues are very interested in preserving their built cultural heritage and emphasised the enormous challenges that the inhabitants are facing due to the accelerated transformation processes in Uzbekistan. The lively discussion that followed, with many unanswered questions and hopeful wishes for the future development of the mahallas, confirmed the project applicants' choice of the new concept and rounded off the conference.
On the following Sunday, the 29th of October 2023, the FHP delegation and colleagues from TAQU visited two mahallas in Tashkent as a kind of prelude to the new project, which is due to start in 2024, and were able to gain a lasting impression of the inner beauty of the buildings and the importance of these urban districts for the residents.
