Five Questions about the new CAS ETH ReMain (in Repair and Maintenance)

Prof. Silke Langenberg, Orkun Kasap and the team from the Chair of Construction Heritage and Preservation at ETH Zurich have designed a new CAS programme. The CAS ETH ReMain (Repair and Maintenance) will take place for the first time in spring 2024 in collaboration with the ETH Zurich Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (Prof. Mirko Meboldt and Prof. Markus Bambach). We asked Silke and Orkun five questions about the new continuing education programme.

1. Which target group is particularly suitable for the CAS ETH ReMain? Are there certain prerequisites or experience that applicants should bring with them?

The programme is aimed at very different professionals with different prior knowledge, experience and backgrounds. It is particularly suitable for graduates from the fields of product and industrial design, architecture and civil engineering, mechanical and process engineering, electrical engineering and environmental sciences who would like to contribute to sustainability and the achievement of climate goals by acquiring additional competencies after their Master's degree.

2. To what extent will the programme be interdisciplinary and how will participants develop interdisciplinary approaches?
The programme will include input from experts in design and manufacturing, architecture and engineering, sustainability, entrepreneurship, law, and economics, which will be integrated into a model repair project to develop innovative solutions to complex problems. This requires knowledge of design and materials, knowledge of traditional and innovative manufacturing methods, and the ability to weigh the economic, environmental, social and cultural impacts of different strategies for action across disciplines. Together with an interdisciplinary group of participants who collaborate and actively exchange ideas, the programme aims to stimulate the development of projects that transcend the boundaries of individual disciplines.

3. Can you name an exemplary maintenance project that the participants could work on as part of the programme?
The case study for the project work will be a highly technical laboratory building from the ETH inventory that will enter the first refurbishment phase in the next decade. Based on the analysis of the façade, building and laboratory technology, sustainable renovation approaches will be discussed and systemically developed.

4. How is the topic of sustainability in construction integrated into the CAS ETH ReMain?
The CAS ETH ReMain is about teaching participants scalable action strategies that reduce the complete replacement demand of various buildings, their components and especially their technical systems. Such strategies must not only focus on the conservation of valuable resources and the reduction of emissions associated with new construction, but also meet the needs of our society in terms of economic growth and resilience, comfort, building culture, aesthetics, etc., so that they become feasible and lead to truly sustainable models for the future development of the building stock.

5. What contribution do you hope the graduates of the CAS ETH ReMain will make to the further development of the building industry and the promotion of sustainable practices?
We are looking for protagonists who can initiate, implement and communicate unconventional, transdisciplinary approaches to the sustainable transformation of the building stock. They can think outside the box and use existing tools, methods and processes to develop new models that meet ecological, economic and social goals while preserving existing values. We are confident that the CAS ETH ReMain will help graduates to become key players in the construction industry and beyond.

For more information on the CAS ETH ReMain and the application form, please visit the official website.

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Credits Picture: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv / Fotograf: Unbekannt / Ans_00915-F / CC BY-SA 4.0