Ground-breaking ceremony for new buildings at FAU Southern Campus
Two new lecture halls for the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Science
Building works at FAU are progressing: Two prominent guests, science minister Markus Blume and Minister of the Interior Joachim Hermann, came to FAU Campus Erlangen (South) to attend the ground-breaking ceremony for two new lecture hall buildings for the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Sciences. The Free State of Bavaria has invested a total of 22.5 million euros in the two buildings built using a sustainable timber frame construction method.
The two square buildings are an important component of FAU’s site development measures and general strategic development: the twin buildings will create approximately 1600 square meters of modern floor space, to be used in particular by the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Sciences in rotation with the existing lecture halls available at the Department of Chemistry. The new buildings are also crucial to FAU’s site development in the city center. Thanks to the additional space available in the south, the former Organic Chemistry building at Henkestraße 42 can now be replaced by the new lecture hall center with the Audimax, thereby creating the new axis of science in Erlangen city center together with the Kollegienhaus and the Himbeerpalast.
The two new lecture halls in each of the buildings, which are planned to be inaugurated in 2023/24, will offer 380 and 449 seats for students, and will be located just 200 meters away from central facilities at Erlangen Campus (South) such as the student cafeteria, the library and existing lecture halls. Sustainability is a major concern for us. The architect’s plan is largely based on timber construction using untreated wood of a single type. The flat roofs will be covered in vegetation and solar panels, and creepers will be planted to grow up the facade. Seating will be available between the twin buildings, encouraging students to stop and stay for a while, not only creating a modern atmosphere for teaching and learning, but also giving students the opportunity to have a break and mingle with fellow students before, between and after lectures.
Comments on the ground-breaking ceremony
Bavarian’s science minister Markus Blume said, “This is the start of our construction campaign at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg. We are investing a total of 1.5 billion euros in construction work alone. Our aim is to create infrastructure for the FAU of the future. Together with world-class companies in the region, the university is at the scientific and economic pulse of Bavaria. We are continuing to push our Franconian Silicon Valley at all levels with our High-Tech Agenda. Bavaria is proud of this innovation hotspot!”
“The two new lecture hall buildings are a further milestone for FAU on the way to becoming a modern European university. The construction work is a major priority for the Free State of Bavaria. That is why a total of 1.5 billion euros will be spent during the next three years on large-scale construction projects at Bavaria’s third-largest university. Although mainly planning expenses have been incurred until now, construction works at FAU are now moving into the considerably more costly construction phase, with excavators moving in to Erlangen city center, Erlangen Campus (South) and in Nuremberg,” said Bavarian Minister of the Interior Joachim Herrmann.
“The two new lecture hall buildings are first and foremost of great practical use. They will create additional space, shorten routes for students and lecturers in engineering and science subjects and will help to concentrate disciplines better in one location. The true significance of the buildings is much greater than that, however. They will allow the forward-looking plans for site development in the Erlangen city center to go ahead and stand at the same time for a modern, sustainable approach to construction works that is becoming ever more important at FAU in the context of the #FAU2025 strategy,” confirmed Prof. Dr. Andreas Hirsch, Vice President People at FAU in his welcome speech.
“The Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Sciences at FAU are continuing to grow in the central location of Erlangen and will be able to expand further in the coming decades. That will also strengthen the standing of Erlangen and the Metropolitan region over the long term. The new lecture hall buildings are important steps along the way,” declared Erlangen’s city mayor Dr. Florian Janik.
The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Paul Fröba, emphasized his pleasure at having more room for students, whose numbers at the Faculty of Engineering have more than tripled in the last 20 years. However, in order to be able to continue the educational mission at the Faculty of Engineering – as the largest engineering education center in Northern Bavaria – at a high level, further construction measures are necessary, he said.
Further information
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