Invitation to the Rigorosum of Adam Hudec

The Examination Panel is made up of: Angelika Schnell (chair), Michelle Howard (first supervisor), Katja Sterflinger (second appraiser, University of Antwerp).

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the transformative potential of building façades’ outermost surfaces, focusing on the role of biopatina; a thin layer of organic deposits that accumulate over time. Integrating approaches from artistic research, material science, and geomicrobiology, the study challenges architectural discourses that prioritize sterility and uniformity. Supported by the findings from groundbreaking state of the art geomicrobiological research from INTK, it argues that such organic surface processes should not be dismissed as aesthetic degradation but understood as ecological and functional elements essential to the built environment.
Through practice-based case studies in Vienna, Prague, and Brno, and the findings of the INTK, the research demonstrates how biopatina contributes to urban resilience by capturing airborne pollutants, mitigating heat island effects, and protecting underlying materials. These findings critique dominant maintenance practices that erase material histories in pursuit of an idealized architectural permanence, revealing the paradox of buildings being expected to endure time while being stripped of its visible effects.
By proposing a shift away from anthropocentric preservation toward dynamic and multispecies coexistence, the study situates biopatina within posthumanist, new materialist, and organism-oriented ontologies. It interrogates cultural biases embedded in surface aesthetics and calls for a reconceptualization of façades as evolving entities, not inert exteriors. Embracing organic transformation offers a vision of a more ecologically integrated architecture where material aging is valued as a vital component of the built environment.
To amplify its impact, the dissertation culminates in a bio-maintenance manifesto: a call not only to support the vision but to bring its findings to a broader audience and elevate the discourse on architectural care to the forefront of public awareness. It redefines maintenance as attentive engagement with non-human life, challenging traditional notions of erasure and control.

Short biography

Adam Hudec is a Vienna-based researcher, architect, and environmental activist working at the intersection of architecture, art, and ecological research. He is co-founder of Dusts Institute, a platform for experimental environmental sensing, material agency, and situated pedagogy. His projects explore hidden urban and ecological dynamics as indicators of wider socio-environmental entanglements.
Hudec’s installations and research have been presented internationally, including at the Venice Architecture Biennale (2025), Vienna Climate Biennale (2024), Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture Shenzhen (2019), and India Design Week (2025). He is editor of From Dusts to Dusts (2025) and co-editor of the Sternberg Press anthology Plant Space (2025). Alongside his practice, he lectures and leads international workshops, advancing multispecies and ecological perspectives in architecture and urban systems.

The rigorosum will be in English and will take place at Schillerplatz 3, 1010 Vienna, room 209.

We are looking forward to welcoming you.