Rethinking architecture – Heritage conservation as an impulse for sustainability and building culture

Can the existing building be turned into something new - and become visibly more aesthetic, sustainable and future-proof in the process? The new exhibition „Denkmalpflege als Chance – Nachhaltig sanieren, bewusst gestalten“ (‘Monument preservation as an opportunity – sustainable renovation, conscious design’) provides a convincing answer to this question.

The baudenkmal bundesschule bernau association opened the exhibition on 20 June 2025. The exhibition showcases award-winning projects by Berlin architects BRENNE ARCHITEKTEN, who have been pioneers of building in existing structures for decades.

In the former Teacher's House No. 9, visitors will gain fascinating insights into outstanding projects – including the refurbishment of the ADGB Trade Union School in Bernau (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2017), the Bauhaus building in Dessau and important modernist housing estates in Berlin and Magdeburg. The exhibition shows how heritage conservation can be understood not as a restriction, but as an impulse for sustainable building – in line with the guiding principle: ‘Preserving by continuing to build’. At the same time, it illustrates how BRENNE ARCHITEKTEN find contemporary answers to monument preservation challenges with unusual, often astonishingly simple and cost-effective solutions.

The exhibition is aimed at everyone who is interested in architecture, sustainability and building culture – professionals and architecture enthusiasts alike.