The international association WTA currently has over 500 international members who have formed national groups. The association's goal is to support research and practical applications in the area of building maintenance and monument preservation. To achieve this, a significant focus is placed on ensuring that proven practical knowledge can be applied more widely. The aim is to support the application of new developments and the use of modern technologies.

The association consists of eleven technical commissions that are divided into working groups and take advantage of their interdisciplinary composition and collaboration among various experts from science, planning and construction as well as the relevant authorities to address the subject matters concerned. The working groups compile and evaluate the current state of knowledge and publish it as a status report. Additional responsibilities of the working groups include organising seminars and adapting their prepared leaflets to the various national circumstances. Current developments are summarised in leaflets for practical application.

As part of this year's denkmal, the event focusing on "Monument Preservation in Times of Climate Change" will take place on 26 November from 9:45 am to 4:00 pm in the Congress Center Leipzig (CCL). The event is organised by the WTA Germany, the Fraunhofer Information Centre for Regional Planning and Building Construction (IRB) and the German Association of State Monument Conservationists (VDL). The event is designed for employees of building and monument authorities, architects and engineers as well as building owners and students.

"Climate change has significant implications for the protection and preservation of monuments, requiring a more in-depth examination of potential ways to manage monuments in a climate-balanced manner. Numerous architectural monuments are facing ever-increasing challenges – especially due to unpredictable climatic events such as heat, heavy rain, or drought. The catastrophic flooding in Ahrtal is one example of this. At the event, concepts for the sustainable use and preservation of monuments in the face of changing climatic influences will be presented and discussed," explains Dipl. Ing. and economics lecturer Volker Schweizer from the Fraunhofer Information Centre for Regional Planning and Building Construction (IRB). "On a similar topic, but with a stronger focus on cultural heritage research, the forum "Cultural Heritage in Danger – Effects of Climate Change, Digitalisation Opportunities," coordinated by the Brussels Fraunhofer Centre, will take place on the morning of 24 November in the Congress Center Leipzig (CCL). Results of the research project "Cultural Heritage in Danger – Effects of Climate Change, Digitalisation Opportunities (2019-2022)" will be presented and discussed with the audience," Volker Schweizer explains.

Additionally, WTA International will present the "WTA Young Professionals Award" for outstanding achievement in the fields of building maintenance and monument preservation to young specialists on 25 November at denkmal 2022. The winner will receive the WTA trophy, a cash prize of 1,000 euros, a two-year membership in the WTA and reimbursement for participation in WTA Day. Professionals from craft, execution and science up to the age of 35 may apply for the award. Bachelor’s, master’s, diploma or doctoral theses, research reports, apprenticeship or master craftsman's final theses and project reports (no older than 15 months) are eligible for submission. At the award ceremony, the prize-winner will be given the opportunity to present the most important results of their thesis in a lecture. In addition, there is the possibility of publishing an article in the magazine Bausubstanz or a corresponding English-language journal.