In four blocks of one week each, the Living Lab NRW of the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering on the Nordbahntrasse was a temporary home. The students had the opportunity to try out and enjoy completely different houses. The University of Wuppertal is thus offering its students a unique experiment in which studying and living grow closer together. Study content can be experienced in person on site.

At the centre of the experiment is the question: how well is the acceptance of architecture that integrates sustainability, design quality, space sufficiency (i.e. reduced land use in the form of less living space per capita, for example) and technical innovations over the entire life cycle?

The students were active participants in a scientific field test. They used structured surveys and interviews to share their impressions, assessments and suggestions for improvement, for example on the influence of circular construction on architecture or the suitability of reduced living space for everyday use. "Spending time directly in the building shows us how compact you can live and how little space you actually need - as future planners and as users," said one participating architecture student.

The Living Lab NRW acts as an interdisciplinary interface between research, teaching and practice. The findings from the living phases are channelled into the further development of sustainable living concepts - with the aim of not only discussing transformation in the construction sector in theory, but also making it tangible and measurable. Further residential phases are planned for the coming winter.