When I studied architecture, the world seemed simpler than it does today – at least in our designs. We designed buildings that were meant to stand out: iconic, visible. Sustainability was certainly an issue, but rarely the starting point of our considerations. That has changed fundamentally.

Today, architecture faces a real contradiction. On the one hand, the construction industry is booming, but on the other hand, we are seriously asking ourselves whether we should be building new structures at all. Many buildings that we celebrated as references not so long ago are now part of a problem that we can no longer ignore. 

This is uncomfortable – for our discipline and for architectural education. But that is exactly why this moment matters. Because the central question is no longer just how we build. It is why, and for whom?

For us as educators, this means responsibility. It means setting new references. It means looking again - critically - at the recent history of architecture, landscape architecture and urban design.

And it means teaching more than knowledge. It means teaching ways of working, ways of thinking and ways of making decisions. Ways that can help turn architecture​ from part of the problem​ into part of the solution.

The challenges we face are real. They are complex. And they are urgent. And yes, we often work within regulatory frameworks that lag behind the current state of knowledge.

That makes things harder. But this is exactly where our discipline matters.

We need architects who are willing to speak up.​​​​​ Who have the conviction to say: things must change. And the confidence to show that they can change – without giving up design quality.

We need architects who are willing to speak up. Who have the conviction to say: things must change. And the confidence to show that they can change – without giving up design quality.

This is not easy. But it is possible.
And for that, we need passion.

During my studies, I once heard a sentence that stayed with me. It was said that there are, broadly speaking, two kinds of people: those who accept the world as it is, and those who believe that the world can be changed. I am convinced that most of us belong to the second group. And that is something we share. Students as well as our team.

We believe in curiosity, in experimentation and in learning through new experiences. We believe in an architectural culture that is careful. Careful with resources, and careful with each other.

An architecture that understands limits. That accepts finitude. And works creatively within it.

We believe that education should focus on learning, not on bureaucracy. That collaboration matters more than self-promotion. And that architecture is never the result of a single heroic figure. The era of the star architect is over.

The future belongs to collective practice, to shared responsibility and to collaboration across disciplines.

Good architecture does not emerge from ego. It emerges from attitude.

At the same time, our profession is changing rapidly. New tools, including artificial intelligence, are reshaping how we work. They will support us, they will challenge us, and they will open up possibilities that we did not have before. But they will never replace what lies at the core of architecture: judgement, responsibility and human intention. We should use these tools, but we should not allow them to define us.

Because architecture is more than efficiency. It is a cultural task.

And this is exactly what we want to share with you: not finished answers, but ways of thinking, ways of questioning, and ways of taking responsibility.

This is not an easy time to study architecture. But it is a decisive one.

The answers are not ready-made, and none of us has them alone. But we do have something else: we have knowledge, we have tools and we have the conviction that design always comes with responsibility.

We believe in an architecture, that becomes quieter, not louder. Smarter, not bigger. More precise, not more spectacular. An architecture, that is collaborative and deeply aware of its impact.

We want to share this attitude with you – not from above, but as equals. Not as a finished model, but as a shared learning process.

Because the future of our built environment will not be decided by individuals. It will be shaped by people who are willing to take responsibility.

This is not easy. But it is possible.

And that is exactly why this is a good time to be in an architecture school. And that is also exactly why I am very much looking forward to being your dean in the coming years. Thank you very much for your trust.