New architecture school in Germany inaugurated
Opening on February 11, the Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule in Regensburg (OTH Regensburg), Germany expanded its campus with a new facility for the Faculty of Architecture. The competition was won in 2015 and marks an important step in the university’s consolidation into one joint campus.
Universities are central to contemporary life. They are engines to attract, shape and retain knowledgeable workers in the local economy. The new architecture school will not only be the home to around 750 students studying architecture, building climate, building archeology and industrial design, but is also regarded as an important agent in driving innovation in German district of Bavaria.
“With the centrally located and innovative new building, the faculty can now draw on a state-of-the-art infrastructure to train the specialists of tomorrow,” says Minister of Science Bernd Sibler in Bavaria, Germany.
At OTH Regensburg, teaching and learning transcend the division of semesters and degrees and all programs emphasize interdisciplinary and cross-faculty collaboration, breaking with a conventional silo approach to further education. Based on the concept of creating an open setting, the new building, totaling 8,800 m2, is designed to support this pedagogy; to nurture co-creation and the exchange and activation of knowledge and ideas.
“The main concept of this building is the learning spiral that we introduced as a space that continues across all floors. It not only connects and gives students access to study and work rooms, but also enables a feeling of connectedness between students and faculties,” explains Werner Frosch, Managing Director in Henning Larsen, Germany about the design of the building.
The open study environment unfolds at the light-flooded foyer which forms the main circulation route throughout the building. Four large stairways separate the area into different zones, creating spaces for informal meetings or lectures and breaks in between.
“A quantum leap in academic training is being induced here," says Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Baier, President of OTH Regensburg. The move from the Prüfinger Straße location to the campus strengthens existing internal collaboration with both civil engineers, mechanical engineering, and IT.
The architecture school in Regensburg is the third school of architecture designed by Henning Larsen following the completion of City Campus Aalborg in 2014, and the award-winning Umeå School of Architecture from 2010.
