Around the world, the architecture of the 20th and 21st centuries is often discussed within the context of iconic figures like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Rem Koolhaas. However, contributions from African and Asian countries (with the notable exception of Japan) are frequently overlooked. These regions are typically recognized only for their historical architecture or vernacular building techniques, while their distinctive modern architecture is rarely acknowledged, and their key figures are seldom included in global discourse.

Opportunities to publicize successful local architects and contextualize their work culturally are often lacking in these regions. This is especially true for women architects, whose contributions remain under-researched and rarely covered, whether in the West or the Global South.

As a result, architectural history remains narrow and one-sided. What are the implications for the perception of architecture – in education, in the public realm, and in the production of space? These questions can be explored through the architects featured in the exhibition Dipl.-Ing. Arsitek: An Indonesian-German Architectural History. Would the global discourse shift if their work were fully recognized?

In this talk, we explored ways to broaden architectural discourse with our guest speakers.

Nikolai Brandes, global dis:connect research centre, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, reported from the African continent under the title ‘Mozambique in the global history of architecture’.

Eduard Kögel, co-initiator of Encounters with Southeast Asian Modernism, reported on the exchange between Germany and Indonesia in the field of architecture.

Ursula Schwitalla, Art historian, chairwoman of the Tübinger Kunstgeschichtliche Gesellschaft e.V., founder and board member of Diversity in Architecture e.V. and initiator of the divia award, Tübingen, Germany, criticised the lack of appreciation of the contribution of women to architectural history in her contribution ‘Discrimination cast in concrete’.

Liang Song, Department of Building and Urban Planning History, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany, reported on new approaches to teaching architectural history at the Institute of Architecture at the TU Berlin under the title ‘The Voluntary Prisoners of Architectural History’.

As always, the talk was wonderfully moderated by Friederike Meyer, BauNetz, architectural journalist, Berlin