⚪⚫

Welcome to the House of Sciences

Why This Exists

There is no shortage of ideas about how construction should change. There is an acute shortage of places where those ideas are tested against physical reality—where a prototype meets a building inspector, where a reclaimed beam is load-tested, where a regulatory pathway is navigated rather than theorized. The House of Sciences exists to be that place: not a think tank that produces recommendations, but a working construction site that produces evidence.

The building is, in this sense, deliberately unfinished—and intends to remain so. When Jürgen Habermas argued in his 1980 Adorno Prize lecture that modernity is “an unfinished project,” he was defending the idea that open processes are not a failure of completion but a condition of genuine inquiry (Habermas, 1980). The same logic applies here. An institution that presents only finished, photographable results has already decided what it knows. This one has not.

The ambition behind it is simple to state and difficult to execute. Construction costs in Germany today are, in inflation-adjusted terms, roughly double what they were in 1985. The techniques needed to reverse that trajectory—circular procurement, modular assembly, software-assisted permitting, precision-engineered material systems—are known. What is missing is a site where they are implemented, documented, and made available to the practitioners, researchers, and policymakers who need proof rather than argument. We are building that site, one documented decision at a time.

    and situate your inquiry within our core frameworks:

    We invite educators, researchers, and pioneers to explore the pedagogical heartbeat of The Science House. Whether you are interested in „living & learning“ or wish to study our collaborative frameworks firsthand, we welcome a dialogue on how built environments can accelerate cognitive development. Join us to see how we are redefining the boundary between domestic life and academic excellence, turning every hallway conversation into a potential breakthrough. Our approach is rooted in the belief that learning is a social endeavor, deeply embedded in the physical context of our collegium.

    This perfectly captures my professional attitude:

    For students looking to transform their time in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen region into a career-defining era, this is your gateway. Applying to live at The Science House is more than a housing choice; it is an investment in your professional social capital. By integrating your daily life with a high-caliber research collegium, you gain access to a curated network of mentors and peers that extends far beyond the classroom. We offer the structure and the community necessary to bridge the gap between academic theory and professional mastery in an environment designed for peak performance.

    This aligns most closely with my career goals:

    If you find inspiration in the intersection of technology and physical architecture, let’s talk shop. We are looking for partners and investors who understand that ‘built structures’ are not just passive containers, but active participants in the innovation process. Following the spirit of tech-driven development, we see The Science House as a high-functioning hardware-software hybrid where the ‘hardware’ of our building facilitates the ‘software’ of human ingenuity. We invite you to discuss your personal investment and how we can help with state-of-the-art architectural consulting.

    This is right up my alley:

    References
    Guiding Architects (2012). Ansgar Halbfas et al. auf der Jahreshauptversammlung des Netzwerks von Architekten, Historikern und Autoren.
    Habermas, J. (1980). Die Moderne – ein unvollendetes Projekt. Rede aus Anlass der Verleihung des Adorno-Preises. In: Habermas, J. (1990). Die Moderne – ein unvollendetes Projekt. Philosophisch-politische Aufsätze 1977–1990. Leipzig: Reclam.

    Meet Ansgar at a conference as pictured here or come over to the House of Sciences and get involved with project psychology and experimental accessible construction.

    Exchange ideas with Ansgar at a conference or stop by the House of Sciences to explore potential partnerships. Our construction lab offers the perfect chance to get hands-on and make a valuable contribution to research.