PAD2024 in Hamburg
A Retrospective Look at the 6th International Summer School on Product Architecture Design
From 17 to 21 June, the sixth International Summer School on Product Architecture Design (PAD 2024) successfully took place at the Hamburg University of Technology, bringing together young international academics researching in the field of product architecture. Throughout the week, participants from various countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Finland, and Singapore, learned about the fundamentals of product architecture and took part in engaging workshops on topics such as the fuzzy front end, field effects, sustainability, and circularity. The young researchers were introduced to new product development methods, which they applied directly to a workshop example involving a product family of vacuum cleaner robots. It was a particular honour to have Theresa Ammersdörfer enhance the workshops with her methodological reflections as part of her doctorate. A big thank you to Prof. Dr. Inkermann and TU Clausthal for making this possible. We look forward to further developing the outcomes.
During the research sessions, the various doctoral topics and projects were discussed, and potential collaborative partners were found. The evening events, such as a barbecue at the institute and a boat trip through Hamburg harbour, provided further opportunities for networking and exchange.
![](https://cloud.tuhh.de/index.php/apps/files_sharing/publicpreview/GMnywoBxmb5ZGWA?file=/IMG_8094.jpg&fileId=123603455&x=1920&y=1080&a=true&etag=f9d513cecc1dd38f35882d0512967252)
The next PAD, in two years' time, will be held in Copenhagen—look forward to the programme and another exciting journey as part of PAD. Further information on the upcoming PAD and impressions from previous summer schools can be found on the PKT website.
We thank everyone for their support and participation in PAD2024. We would like to thank Körber Technologies, the TUHH, the TUHH Graduate Academy, and the Design Society for their support in making the PAD International Summer School on Product Architecture Design possible once again.
One unique aspect of this was that Theresa Ammersdörfer provided educational support to the workshops with her methodological reflections. A big thank you to Prof. Dr. Inkermann and TU Clausthal for making this possible.