Zara Pfeifer

Considering that construction, with its enormous consumption of resources and high levels of CO2 emissions, is one of the main drivers of the climate crisis, preserving and converting the existing building stock becomes a crucial task for the future. This gives new importance to the everyday care of building substance: regular cleaning, minor repairs and maintenance work, or care of surfaces and infrastructures extend buildings’ life cycles. Cleaners and other care workers play an essential part in this process. Their role is, however, rarely acknowledged; their material knowledge of the built environment undervalued. In her series Maintenance, Zara Pfeifer has documented the work of the cleaning and services company responsible for maintaining the Akademie der Künste in Berlin.

Commissioned by ARCH+ and exhibited in The Great Repair at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin, in 2023, as well as featured in the publication.