TEAM-BUILDING MEDIATION 

The seminar deals with mediation and team development in planning and design processes. Architectural projects are produced by interdisciplinary teams; wherever artistic visions and individual ideas meet, conflict arises regularly.

Students analyse team dynamics and build their communication, leadership and cooperation skills. They learn practical techniques for identifying, analysing and constructively working through conflict at an early stage. Unresolved conflict burdens both the project and the people involved; the aim is to find solutions that all sides benefit from.

A further focus is value-creating negotiation. In interdisciplinary work, negotiation techniques based on mutual gain are a core competence for architects and planners: they make viable solutions and long-term working relationships possible.

In participatory design, students learn to involve future users actively in the design process. Taking their needs and perspectives into account early produces more adaptable solutions and greater acceptance of the built environment.

Systemic coaching complements this approach. Conflict is not viewed in isolation but in the context of roles, relationships and communication patterns within the team. Systemic questioning techniques and shifts of perspective make existing resources visible and encourage self-reflection as well as a solution-oriented attitude.

Assessment: short presentations on selected topics, active participation, and an individual written final reflection.