Whether in Vienna or Łódź – endowed professor Anna-Vera Deinhammer brings fresh impetus to discussions on the circular economy and urban renewal. Her expertise was in demand several times in spring 2025, but two events stood out in particular. On April 28, she spoke at “Start me up Monday” at the UAS Technikum Wien about circular construction in the context of the digital product passport for real estate. In May, she moderated two interactive discussions at the Urban Future – Better Cities event in Łódź, Poland, on the topics of “Retrofitting: Focus on Skills – How to Close the Skills Gap” and “Heritage vs. Modernization – Defining the Role of Heritage in Urban Renewal”.
Circular Construction and the Digital Product Passport
At “Start me up Monday”, the Endowed Professor for Sustainable Real Estate Development discussed the role of the digital product passport for the circular economy in the construction industry. The main topic of discussion was the importance of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain to ensure transparency and efficiency throughout the entire product life cycle. The digital product passport makes it possible to bundle information from raw material extraction to recycling and make it accessible, which promotes more sustainable construction methods.
Retrofitting and Heritage vs. Modernization
At the Urban Future – Better Cities event in Łódź, Deinhammer led a discussion on the challenges and solutions in the field of retrofitting. With a focus on closing skills gaps, questions such as: Who creates green jobs? How can cities and companies work together to develop resilient labor markets for building retrofitting?
In another session, the expert moderated a discussion on the topic of “Heritage vs. Modernization – Defining the Role of Heritage in Urban Renewal”. The aim was to encourage participants to think beyond the traditional dichotomy of preservation and modernization.
“The international exchange at these events in particular gave me valuable insights and confirmed that we can only master the challenges of sustainable urban development and the circular economy by working together,” Deinhammer says enthusiastically after the events.