Smart Glasses Instead of Paper Plans: DENK(M)AreaL Showcases Innovations for Heritage Conservation
At denkmal 2026 in Leipzig, DENK(M)AreaL will demonstrate how research, planning and skilled trades can work together on practical solutions for existing buildings. The cooperative project aims to scale innovations for the entire sector rather than keeping them confined to individual companies. Initiated by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Stahr of Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK Leipzig) – a civil engineer with a doctorate and Chair of Structural Engineering – the project, pronounced “Denkmareal”, currently brings together 13 companies and five research institutions.
How can new technologies and research findings reach the places where they are needed in heritage conservation: on construction sites and in workshops? From 5 to 7 November 2026, denkmal in Leipzig will create a space at DENK(M)AreaL to answer precisely this question. The project was initiated by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Stahr of HTWK Leipzig. The area brings together stakeholders from the skilled trades and planning, science and business to present solutions that can be put into practice.
Transferring innovations into practice – together
The benefits of these solutions should not end with an individual project or company. The goal is to develop innovations further so that they can be used by a broader share of the sector. “Our mission is to build a bridge. The building materials it is made of are communication, understanding, curiosity and respect,” says Stahr. In complex construction processes, where many parties with different perspectives work together, considerable time and energy are often spent on project organisation. Those are resources that are then unavailable for thinking through new innovations. According to Stahr, this is precisely what delays their establishment in the market.
Planning concepts directly on the building element
The ARsist research project is one example of this approach. HTWK Leipzig and Bennert GmbH from Klettbach are jointly developing a method to make augmented-reality technology usable with smart glasses.
These smart glasses will make it possible to digitally record listed structures and display renovation and planning concepts directly on the building element. In future, planning information will therefore be available exactly where it is needed. In practice, work steps can be coordinated more effectively, while information can be displayed according to the relevant context. Paper plans on the construction site? They will no longer be needed.
What DENK(M)AreaL will look like
Inside the exhibition hall, DENK(M)AreaL will comprise a precisely defined rectangular space covering more than 1,000 square metres. Exhibition stands will be arranged around a central circular “marketplace”, which will host a varied programme throughout all days of the fair. Four large-scale illuminated arch structures will mark the area’s main entrances.
Opening of DENK(M)AreaL
Thursday, 5 November 2026
11:30 a.m.
Hall 2, L15
With Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Stahr (HTWK Leipzig), Andreas Bugiel (Managing Director, Bennert GmbH) and Constantin Strobel (Project Director, denkmal)
