• Anniversary at the Katschhof: Ten years of the Archimedean Sandpit - until August 19.
• This year, the Archimedean Workshop has dedicated itself to sustainable building.
• The birthday of the sandpit is celebrated in style at the Archimedean Party.

The large Archimedean sandpit on the Katschhof is now a firm fixture in Aachen's summer calendar and attracts countless people. And just as the sandpit is part of the summer, the Archimedean Workshop is part of the sandpit as part of the City of Aachen's vacation games. This year, the sandpit is celebrating its tenth birthday, is bigger and has been set up for longer. "I've been there for ten years with great pleasure - and every year the Archimedean Sandpit inspires me anew! A place full of creativity, encounters and summer fun is created here in the middle of our city. Whether children digging or young people building - the Katschhof becomes a stage for community and a wealth of ideas. This project shows how the city, science, culture and play come together in the most beautiful way," says Sibylle Keupen, who accompanied the project in its first years as director of the Bleiberger Fabrik and later as mayor.

Aylin Can and Birgit Frank have now taken over the organization and supervision of the vacation games for the Bleiberger Fabrik, which every year come up with exciting topics between science and crafts, between building and understanding. "The themes are often developed the year before. The children and young people have great ideas about what they would like to build next year. We have participants who took part for the first time when they were seven and are now almost too old," explains Birgit Frank from the Bleiberger Fabrik.

Building sustainably

This year, the children and young people made street furniture with carbon concrete, which they presented to their families, friends and all interested parties on the last day of the workshop and which will later find a permanent place in various locations in Aachen: Seesaws with concrete feet, covered seating and much more. To mark the end of the anniversary workshop, Future Lab Aachen has invited everyone to an "Archimedean Party" on Friday, August 1, from 2 to 10 p.m. at Katschhof. Just before the party, the workshop participants will be putting the finishing touches to their workpieces. This year's workshop, organized and supervised by Bleiberger Fabrik, had the motto "Sustainable building - with concrete or better?" and was supported by RWTH Aachen University and FH Aachen, Department of Design. Angela Alvarez y Leal from the Chair and Institute of Solid Construction at RWTH Aachen University: "The main focus of this workshop was to raise awareness among children and young people - in other words, how to use the material in a way that conserves resources. The children gain a fresh perspective and come into contact with engineering and design at the same time."

Some of the children and young people also have contact with various tools for the first time at the workshop. For Katharina Fünfstück from Deubner Baumaschinen, the choice of topic is exciting every year, as it is only then that she knows which tools Deubner has to provide for the workshop: "It's always extremely exciting. The workshop always needs basic woodworking tools. This year, for example, mixing equipment has been added."

Outlook for the Archimedean Workshop 2026

The results are also exciting for Elena Reinders from the City of Aachen's Department of Communication and City Marketing, who is in charge of the overall project: "It's amazing what the mini-engineers achieve year after year in the Archimedean Workshop. A great example of hands-on science, the great mathematician Archimedes would certainly be delighted!" She is already giving a small preview of the next sandpit: "Next year will also be hands-on: in 2026, the workshop motto will be based on the World Equestrian Games and the supporting program 'Aachen WM Special' in the city of Aachen. The kids will build imaginative obstacles and thus refer to the sporting highlight in Aachen."

STAWAG, partner of the sandpit from the very beginning, will be there again: "We were enthusiastic about the Archimedean Sandpit project right from the start - and still are today," explains Jennifer Prinz, press officer at STAWAG. And after the workshop is before the digging and chilling: The sandpit will remain an attraction for all Aachen residents and guests until August 19. "The sandpit is a great place for families to spend time in the heart of the city. Older children and young people will also get their money's worth with the accompanying vacation program. To make 'digging' even more fun, we are very happy to contribute excavators, shovels and sun protection." And the diggers and shovels are given a new home in an Aachen daycare center every year.

The program of the Archimedean Party

From 2 p.m., the children and young people will present their self-built street furniture made of carbon concrete, which they have been making for three weeks as part of the Archimedean Workshop.

From 2.30 p.m., all children can get creative and cast their own fridge magnets and mini works of art out of concrete under the guidance of experts from RWTH Aachen University and then take them home with them.

The City Science Office and the RWTH Aachen University Debating Club invite you to a "Speed Debating", an open discussion on future topics, at 3 pm. All visitors and guests from the audience are cordially invited to join in the discussion and contribute their own thoughts.

To turn a birthday party into a real party, one thing is of course essential: Music. Between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m., the well-known Aachen DJ Chris Brid will be playing at the Sandkasten.

However, the Archimedean Party does not mean the end of the sandpit: the sandpit - as well as the children's street furniture - is still freely accessible to everyone on the Katschhof until August 19. So there is still plenty of time to dig, relax and enjoy the sun.

Future Lab Aachen

The Archimedean Sandbox and the workshop are formats of the Future Lab Aachen. Future Lab Aachen is an alliance between RWTH Aachen University and Aachen University of Applied Sciences, the University of Music and Dance, the Catholic University of Applied Sciences (KatHO) NRW and the city of Aachen. Under this umbrella brand, the city has been bringing science to life hand in hand since 2016.

All info: https://futurelab-aachen.de/