From the concrete foundation to the residential quarter

The pilot edition of the "Baukulturcamp Niedersachsen" took place in Wolfsburg from August 4 to 7, 2025. Ten participants aged between 12 and 16 took advantage of the opportunity to gain insights into various professions from architecture to urban planning during the four days of workshops at the Jugendhaus Ost and to get creative and get involved in craftsmanship themselves.

Employees from the City of Wolfsburg's Building Construction and Green divisions presented their professions and gave tours of various construction sites. Equipped with construction helmets and sturdy shoes, the participants were able to observe how a concrete foundation was poured into the formwork and learned how to use what they had learned in math class to build right angles on a large scale. Or how to make streets green and still be passable for the fire department. The program also included a trip to the urban forest on the subject of water, greenery and climate in the city.

In the workshop and on the outdoor area of the Jugendhaus Ost, the participants then got active themselves. Using long roof battens and elastic bands, creative spatial structures were created (almost) without any specifications, but with a lot of teamwork. Small, multifunctional stools were built from recycled wood. With the support of staff from the city's special planning and project management department, the knowledge gained was then applied to the planning of their own residential area - quiet living with little traffic and plenty of shady greenery and water was particularly important to all participants.

The Baukulturcamp Niedersachsen is an initiative of the Forum Architektur der Stadt Wolfsburg with the support of the Netzwerk Baukultur in Niedersachsen and the Lavesstiftung Hannover. Following the successful pilot edition, the camp will also be held in other cities in Lower Saxony in the future.