The planning competition for the Kulmbach campus focused on the design of the first construction phase of Faculty VII, which revitalizes a long-standing wasteland. A campus for up to 1,000 students is being built on the approx. 44,800 m² site of the former goods station, promoting modern working environments and interdisciplinary exchange. The faculty currently has around 300 students, two thirds of whom come from abroad. The University of Bayreuth combines teaching and research in Kulmbach, focusing on areas such as metabolomics, food law and digital health.
The plans include a comprehensive new building for the “Faculty of Food Sciences: Food, Nutrition, Health”. Our design aims to contextually integrate the buildings into the surroundings and create a new university garden that serves as a recreational green space. The design comprises three main buildings: a lecture hall building, a research building and a canteen and library building. A central pergola connects these elements and creates an inviting arrival point.
The first floor functions as a continuous space with student workstations and various services such as a university store and seminar rooms. The canteen and cafeteria also offer a terrace with a view of the surrounding area. The design promotes interdisciplinary exchange and takes the needs of the users into account.
A total of 18 architectural firms from Europe submitted designs; 2nd prize went to the consortium of hammeskrause architekten and Wamsler Rohloff Wirzmüller Landschaftsarchitekten. The jury’s assessment emphasized that the concept creates an “oasis” in the urban environment by making topographical adjustments and distributing the functions across several buildings. The design of the outdoor facilities is coherent and supports a superordinate fresh air corridor. Overall, the design is assessed as sustainable in the long term and relevant to the requirements set.
