Summercamp 2026

Join in and be a part of it!​

Apply for the 2026 Fraunhofer Science, Art and Design network summer camp and work with an interdisciplinary creative team to design innovative solutions with sustainable, resource-efficient materials!  ​

When and where?​

From August 30 to September 5, 2026, at the Fraunhofer Center in Benediktbeuern.

Developing sustainable solutions for construction requires more than just new materials. It requires space to bring together different ways of thinking, methods to enable collaborative experimentation and settings that productively combine research, crafting and design.

In the 2026 summer camp, you will work with other students and Fraunhofer researchers to explore what experimental laboratory and workshop settings of this type might look like.

Whether biobased building materials, historically inspired construction methods or modern manufacturing technologies, the focus will not only be on what we work on together but especially on how.

For a full week, you will work in an interdisciplinary team, test materials, develop prototypes, reflect on processes and actively contribute to designing a co-creation format that can have a lasting impact beyond the summer camp.

At the end of the Summercamp week, the three teams will present their projects to an interdisciplinary jury, which will provide valuable feedback and suggestions for further developing the projects.

What we offer:

• Seven days of creative work in inspiring surroundings
• Meals + lodging + reimbursement of travel expenses
• Presentations by experts + entertainment program
• Interdisciplinary teamwork with students from various fields and researchers from different Fraunhofer institutes

We invite undergraduate and graduate students (including those in architecture, building physics, materials science, sustainable design or related fields) and participants with a background in the trades or other professions, who are passionate about sustainability, materials, practical work and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The working language will be English. The content requires that participants are able to actively participate in English.

Application

Are you studying in a program that applies to our teams and are you interested in a one-week interdisciplinary workshop? If so, tell us by June 15, 2026, what speaks to you about this task, how you would like to contribute to our summer camp and which team (or teams) you would like to work in.

Please send your cover letter along with your résumé to camilla.geier@zv.fraunhofer.de.

Fraunhofer Center for Conservation and Energy Performance of Historic Buildings Benediktbeuern

The Fraunhofer Center for Conservation and Energy Performance of Historic Buildings Benediktbeuern is located in the Alte Schäfflerei (old barrelmaker's shop) of the Benediktbeuern Monastery. Through research and demonstration work, as well as the acquisition and transfer of knowledge, the center finds answers to issues concerning the sustainable and lasting preservation of evidence marking the identity of our architectural culture.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP and the Fraunhofer Information Center for Regional Planning and Building Construction IRB have restored the listed building dating from the mid-18th century in accordance with historical building requirements and under energy-saving aspects to create a “Transparent Building Site” and have put it to new use. In this way, the center actively promotes the transfer of knowledge between heritage conservation, building practice, research and industry. The technical focus is on the study of historical monuments, old buildings worthy of protection and building physics.

Organisation of the Camp: Anian Trettenhann & Sebastian Krück (Fraunhofer IBP).