UTA Students Join Global Cohort to Design Superblock Proposals for Innsbruck
The 2026 Alpinestudio Global Campus Program once again transformed Innsbruck, Austria into an international platform for architecture, urbanism, and climate resilience. Developed through the long-standing partnership between the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Innsbruck, the program brought together 60 students from the United States, Austria, Italy, Germany, France, and Australia to explore the guiding question: How can architecture act as a change agent for urban climates?
Across the semester, students investigated how spatial design can contribute to more resilient, diverse, and sustainable urban futures through three interconnected courses: the design studio Superblock. Superspace., and the seminars Future Cities: Collective Intelligence. Shared Climates, and Adaptive Typologies: Spatial Typologies as Change Agents.
In the design studio Superblock. Superspace., students explore how the superblock model can transform streets and neighborhoods into climate-responsive public environments. Developed in collaboration with the Vienna-based office Studio LAUT and the City Planning Department of Innsbruck, the studio addressed mobility, urban heat, streetscapes, blue and green infrastructure, and ecological connectivity through proposals across Innsbruck.
The seminar on Future Cities: Collective Intelligence. Shared Climates. examined resilient, sustainable, inclusive, smart, and transscalar cities through lectures, workshops, and discussions on participation, governance, environmental design, and emerging technologies. The course was supported by the public “Building Futures” Lecture Series, which included guest lectures by Dr. Barbara Imhof, a space architect and head of the Unit for Integrative Design Extremes at the University of Innsbruck.
In Adaptive Typologies: Spatial Typologies as Change Agents, students explored how climate frameworks and regional sustainability initiatives can be communicated through games and playful design strategies. Grounded in game-theory principles, students developed interactive projects to translate complex environmental topics into accessible formats for non-academic audiences and community members.
The semester concluded with the final exhibition and public program on May 7, 2026, at Die Bäckerei – Kulturbackstube Innsbruck, where students presented their work to faculty, guests, city representatives, and the public.
“In the future, public spaces should once again belong more strongly to people, as places of encounter, safety, and quality of life for everyone. Especially in times of climate crisis, we need answers for how to make our city more livable,” said City Councilwoman Janine Bex. “I am very pleased to see students from Innsbruck and around the world engaging so passionately with these questions. Their projects show that good planning is not only about designing spaces, but also about listening, considering different needs, and developing solutions together. When research, teaching, and practice come together, real change can emerge, and that is exactly what I look forward to with Innsbruck’s first Superblock.”
“What makes the program unique is its focus on the role of architecture in society as a discipline capable of engaging ecologies, infrastructures, and collective urban futures,” said Program Director, Dr. Oswald Jenewein. He also highlighted the program’s roots in the 37-year partnership initiated by the late Professor Craig Kuhner, which has evolved into a vibrant transatlantic platform connecting students, faculty, cities, and institutions through shared questions about climate resilience and urban futures.
Special thanks go to all instructors, collaborators, guest lecturers, and reviewers who contributed to the 2026 Alpinestudio Global Campus Program:
- Dr. Oswald Jenewein, University of Texas at Arlington
- Dr. Mohsen Hajibabaei, University of Innsbruck
- Dr. Yannick Back, University of Innsbruck
- Ian Gillis, University of Innsbruck
- Daniel Klausner, University of Innsbruck
- Dr. Barbara Imhof, University of Innsbruck / Unit for Integrative Design Extremes
- Florian Lorenz, Studio LAUT Vienna
- Georg Wieser, Studio LAUT Vienna
- Paul Treichl, Feral Worlding London
- Dr. Vasileios Chanis, EPFL Lausanne
- Mathieu Wellner, Technical University of Munich
- Janine Bex, City Councilwoman, Innsbruck
- Elisabeth Weiler, City Planning Department, Innsbruck
- City Planning Department of Innsbruck
- Institute of Design / Studio2, University of Innsbruck
Special thanks also go to all participating students of the 2026 Alpinestudio Global Campus Program:
- Sara Alhosin
- Iker Arricaberri-Bueno
- Moritz Bahner
- Marukina Basic
- Maja Buglas
- Alberto Cesaro
- Ivy Chen
- Heidi Cogo
- Luis Cruz
- Oliver Delapena
- Adam Delueg
- Neil Dolecki
- Paula Dorok
- Jan Durkacz
- Benedikt Ehrmann
- Sam Genson
- Luis Gstrein
- Yannick Hartung
- Yaman Hasanou
- Nicholas Hendriks
- Christopher Hogan
- Lorelai Hofer
- Ana Jasso-Medellin
- Finn Jall
- Jada Johnson
- Krista Jordan
- Morris Kaysonpheth
- Lucia Kast
- Lynn Koch
- Marlene Koenig
- Linn Kulhanek
- Antonie Kuntzsch
- Barbara Liensberger
- Chiara Lopez-Schakat
- Haylee McCall
- Tom Markowski
- Mario Mendez
- Lena Misslinger
- Laurin Morell
- Simon Naumann
- Mohammad Nazarpour
- Franziska Niederl
- Nang Palae-Wint
- Alexander Phavongsa
- Alessandra Re
- Shana-Chiara Redfern
- Jesus Rojas-Vidales
- Mia Ruggiu
- Antonia Schoeberl
- Judith Schoeniger
- Lizzy Schneider
- Eva Smith
- Lenja Streussnig
- Yalda Tabandi-Alanagh
- Georgi Terziyski
- Chloe Tydlaska
- Luis Vera
- Oleksandr Verlanov