Dr. monica tușinean
sustainable transformation of ruins
artistic + design-driven research
adaptive re-use and institutional rage
about:
guest columns:
recently:
Dr. Monica Tușinean is an architect and researcher focusing on design-driven investigations. Her work centres around architectural and cultural heritage and innovative reuse approaches for urban wastelands and the existing building stock.
Born in Romania, she now resides in Germany, where she has earned her design-based doctoratal degree a
Dr. Monica Tușinean is an architect and researcher focusing on design-driven investigations. Her work centres around architectural and cultural heritage and innovative reuse approaches for urban wastelands and the existing building stock.
Born in Romania, she now resides in Germany, where she has earned her design-based doctoratal degree at the Technische Universität Berlin in the “Programm Entwurfsbasierte Promotion”, contributing to the intersection of architecture, preservation, and sustainable urban development.
Her experimental research explores visual methodologies that bridge lacunas in socio-cultural and political discourse on post-communist architectural aesthetics. She works as an architect, teaches at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and contributes to the digital architecture magazine “Kontextur”.
In 2025 she has joined Plantrafik Architekten in Stuttgart, collaborating on preservation and transformation of heritage protected buildings.
In the past, she studied architecture at the University ‘Ion Mincu’ Bucharest and Universität Stuttgart where she graduated with distinction. The thesis "Wastelands" was shortlisted for the Baunetz Campus Masters awards. Since her graduation she has practiced architecture with Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei Architekten and Schleicher Ragaller Architekten. She has worked as a scientific assistant at the Universität Stuttgart and is currently a lecturer and scientific assistant at the Karlsruher Institut für Technologie with a focus on adaptive re-use design processes.
recently:
guest columns:
recently:
2025:
Publication
Nordic Journal for Artistic Research
ArchiKon 2025
Ressourcenwende
Moderator - Materialien für die Wende
Joinery Compendium
Moderator - Wechselraum BDA
Schulbau Symposium VHS
Moderator - Education Architecture
2024:
Doctoral degree from the Technische Universität Berlin.
magna cum laude
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Title of the dissert
2025:
Publication
Nordic Journal for Artistic Research
ArchiKon 2025
Ressourcenwende
Moderator - Materialien für die Wende
Joinery Compendium
Moderator - Wechselraum BDA
Schulbau Symposium VHS
Moderator - Education Architecture
2024:
Doctoral degree from the Technische Universität Berlin.
magna cum laude
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Title of the dissertation:
"Protection Through Transformation"
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December 2024, Berlin
DrawingxAcrossxAlong University Borders - Panelist - Practice Sharing
i2ADS + FBAUP University of Porto.
16-19. October
Finalist (#9)
International Architectural Competition - Industrial Site "Rulmentul"
FAUS - "...und morgen?" - Panelist
Uni Stuttgart 14.October
EASST-4S - Panelist
"Making and Doing Transformations"
Amsterdam, NL, 16-19. July
Kamingespräch - Roundtable Talk
IRGE, Uni Stuttgart, 12. June
Jour Fixe - Panelist
Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Stuttgart, 30. April
Cities Building Culture - Panelist
Visual Methodologies for the Transdisciplinary Study of Heritage
RWTH Aachen, 21-23. March
Schulbau Messe - Moderation
Internationaler Salon und Messe für den Bildungsbau, Stuttgart, 29.February
KNTXTR
"Greenwashing in Design Education"- Read it here: LINK
2023:
Ph.D. School Tbilisi, Georgia
Neighborhood Heritage
'Cities building culture'
Moderation: ArchiKon AKBW +
'Neue Arbeitswelten'
Wechselgespräche
IBA27/BDA - Junge Raumpraxis
Queens of Structure
Podium Discussion
Frauen in der Bauwende
(feminist practices for change in construction industries)
Publication
CA2RE+ 3rd edition
Frameworks of Design-Driven Research
Kolloquium PEP 6
Entwurfsbasierte Promotion Berlin
2022:
Guest Lecture
Adaptive Re-Use @ Kent State University, Ohio
CIPA - International Congress for Architectural and Landscape Heritage @ Malagueira, Portugal
poster + publication
Constructive Disobedience
Symposium @ TU Braunschweig
KIT EntwerfenKonstruieren (Prof. Ludwig Wappner)
Architecture Beyond Capitalism
workshop @ the architecture lobby
creative days stuttgart
input lecture @ hospitalhof
sustain. build. repeat
Symposium @ ZKM Karlsruhe
D.A.R.A.
Symposium Design and Research in Architecture and Landscape
Leibniz Universität Hannover
Hidden Histories: Gender in Design
Design History Society, London
PEP - Kolloquium Programm entwurfsbasierte Promotion
TU Berlin
2021:
Moderation AIP-Kongress “Young Archikon” - Architektenkammer Baden-Württemberg
Ca2Re (Conference for Artistic and Architectural (Doctoral) Research)"Reformulations"
Ljubjlana
PEP - Kolloquium Programm entwurfsbasierte Promotion
TU Berlin
Wiss. Veröffentlichung: Ca2Re - Strategies of design driven research, erste Ausgabe 2021
Relevante Lehrveranstaltungen 2021/22:
Seminar - Adaptive Re-Use
Masterentwurf - Umnutzung und Transformation des Geschäftshauses “Münchner Freiheit”
Stegreif - Adaptive Transformation der Innenhöfe Geb. 20.40
2020:
Workshop Methodology in Research by Art or Design - HafenCity Universität Hamburg
DARA Symposium and PhD Peer Review Design and Research in Architecture, Hannover
"Intentions" Ca2Re+ (Conference for Artistic and Architectural (Doctoral) Research) Trondheim
PEP - Kolloquium Programm entwurfsbasierte Promotion,
TU Berlin
2019 bis dato:
Entwurfsbasierte Promotion „Approaching industrial heritage sites in a post-socialist landscape“ Technische Universität Berlin, PhD Adviser: Dr. Ignacio Borrego
2018:
Kolloquien „Programm Entwurfsbasierte Promotion“ (PEP0 + PEP1) TU Berlin
Freie Mitarbeit Schleicher Ragaller Architekten Stuttgart (Wettbewerbe)
Ausstellung - Wechselraum Stuttgart Framed: Arbeiten der
Studierenden am KIT
2017 bis dato:
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin – Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, IEB Prof. Ludwig Wappner
Selbstständige Arbeit als Architektin
Freie Mitarbeit Schleicher Ragaller Architekten Stuttgart (Wettbewerbe)
Freie Mitarbeit Plantrafik Architekten Stuttgart (Wettbewerbe)
2017:
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeit – Universität Stuttgart
Institut für öffentliche Bauten,
Prof. Alexander Schwarz
Selbstständige Arbeit als Architektin
2015
Eintragung in die Architektenkammer Baden-Württemberg, berechtigt zur Bauvorlage
2012 – 2017:
Architektin – Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei Architekten Stuttgart (Projektleitung und Wettbewerbe)
Consulting + Ausführung Teatrul Radu Stanca, Sibiu „Fabrica de Cultura“ (basierend auf der Diplomarbeit “Wastelands” 2012)
Lehraufträge Universität Stuttgart:
IRGE Prof. Markus Allmann - Einführung in das Entwerfen 3.
Semester (Entwurf) IÖB Prof. Alexander Schwarz - Standpunkte der Baukultur (Vorlesung)
2012:
Diplom Universität Stuttgart: "Wastelands - Transformationen einer Industrieruine" Prof. Markus Allmann, Prof. Arno Lederer
(Anerkennung Diplompreis Uni Stuttgart, Shortlist Baunetz Campus Masters )
2011:
Praktikum EM2N Architekten Zürich
2008-2011
IÖB Prof. Arno Lederer - Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft, stud. Tutorin Entwerfen und Darstellung Mitarbeit an der Publikation "Raumpilot - Lernen"
2007-2012
Architekturstudium Universität Stuttgart
Mitglied EASA (European Architecture Students Assembly) - Workshops und Summer Schools:
Elefsina, Griechenland - “Index City”
Letterfrack, Irland - “Adaptation”
Brescia, Italien - “supermARCHnet”
Manchester, UK - “Identity”
2005 – 2007
Architekturstudium Universitatea de Arhitectura si Urbanism Ion Mincu Bukarest
2005
Abitur - Bacalaureat, Sibiu, Rumänien
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Persönliches
Geb. 14.08.1986 in Hunedoara, Rumänien
Interessen und Schwerpunkte:
Entwurfsbasierte Forschung in der Architektur
Experimentelle Bestandserhaltung von Industrieruinen
Adaptive Transformationen im Rahmen nachhaltiger Konzepte für erhaltenswertes Kulturerbe Bauen und Erhalten von intraurbanen Brachen unter Aspekten der "kritischen Fürsorge" Entwicklung von Entwurfslehrkonzepten für den Umgangs mit bestehenden Strukturen
guest columns:
guest columns:
guest columns:
AI in Architecture: Awe and Autophagia
Read @ Kontextur
Greenwashing in Design Education
Opinion Piece for KNTXTR
«It appears that architecture schools are buying into an erroneous dichotomy of beauty vs. sustainability and are struggling to marry didactic tradition with the architecture and construction practices the climat
AI in Architecture: Awe and Autophagia
Read @ Kontextur
Greenwashing in Design Education
Opinion Piece for KNTXTR
«It appears that architecture schools are buying into an erroneous dichotomy of beauty vs. sustainability and are struggling to marry didactic tradition with the architecture and construction practices the climate emergency requires.»
Master Of None
Opinion Piece for KNTXTR
«The prevailing reality for most employed architects is the continuous confrontation with an anachronistic view of the occupation and a (perceived) inability to imagine another working model from within a dysfunctional system.»
teaching
guest columns:
2024 Guest Critic
Metropol X - KIT
Professur Internationaler Städtebau und Entwerfen
2023 Guest Critic
Design Studio IU Architecture Stuttgart
2022 Guest Lecture
Adaptive Re-Use @ Kent State University, Ohio
Since 2017
Scientific Assistant and Lecturer
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie
Fakultät für Architektur
Institut Entwerfen und Bautechni
2024 Guest Critic
Metropol X - KIT
Professur Internationaler Städtebau und Entwerfen
2023 Guest Critic
Design Studio IU Architecture Stuttgart
2022 Guest Lecture
Adaptive Re-Use @ Kent State University, Ohio
Since 2017
Scientific Assistant and Lecturer
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie
Fakultät für Architektur
Institut Entwerfen und Bautechnik
x
Selected Seminars
Adaptive Re-Use @ KIT
winter 2021/22
summer 2022
winter 2022/23
Selected Masters' Design Projects
Transformation + Re-Use @KIT
"Trash To Treasure"
Transformation of Thermoselect Site
Karlsruhe Harbor
Transformation Retail Mall “Münchner Freiheit”
Stegreif - Short design project
Adaptive Transformation der Innenhöfe Geb. 20.40 @KIT
Teaching @ Universität Stuttgart
2015-2017
2nd Year Studio Project
Introduction to Design
Masters' Design Project
"Theatre in Transylvania"
Lecture
"Standpunkte der Baukultur"
Baunetz Campus + Architekturkollektiv Letters to a Young Architect
PODCAST 'Baustelle bauwesen'
via Philip & Michael Kalkbrenner|14.12.2022
Greenwashing is a popular marketing tool that many businesses are using today. This goes so far that the feeling is conveyed that we can all save the environment and thus the world by buying a certain product: the more of this product that is bought, the better.
Too often we fall into the trap of
via Philip & Michael Kalkbrenner|14.12.2022
Greenwashing is a popular marketing tool that many businesses are using today. This goes so far that the feeling is conveyed that we can all save the environment and thus the world by buying a certain product: the more of this product that is bought, the better.
Too often we fall into the trap of greenwashing!
Philip and Michael talk greenwashing in construction with Monica Tusinean in today's issue. Monica is a research associate at the Faculty of Architecture at KIT and likes to throw up about the industry and the idol hype in the architecture industry.
Together with her, we think about the following questions: What forms of greenwashing are used in our industry? How "green" is cement really, or are we just being fooled when we see the modernized concrete mixers of a major German cement manufacturer? What about away from cement? Are there projects that are described as sustainable and only remotely related to it? Is there greenwashing in science? That and much more. Stay tuned.
Covering these questions and a lighthearted exchange about the construction industry in general awaits you in today's episode of Construction Site.
Have fun listening!