With a ceremony today, Friday, November 8, 2019, the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences (HWG LU) celebrated the groundbreaking for the new building C and thus the beginning of a central campus in Ludwigshafen-Mundenheim. Minister of Science Prof. Dr. Konrad Wolf, Ludwigshafen's Mayor Jutta Steinruck, State Secretary of Finance Dr. Stephan Weinberg and LBB Managing Director Holger Basten honored this milestone in the development of Ludwigshafen University with their welcoming speeches.
On Friday, November 8, 2019, the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for the new building C on the site of the former student parking lot at the corner of Ernst-Boehe-Strasse and Ludwig-Reichling-Strasse in the presence of Science Minister Prof. Dr. Konrad Wolf, State Secretary of Finance Dr. Stephan Weinberg and Ludwigshafen Mayor Jutta Steinruck in a festive setting. The new three-story building, which is scheduled for completion in December 2022, will have an area of 45 x 125 meters and 14,000m2 of usable space for lecture halls, offices, seminar and event rooms, language laboratories, dean's office administration and service rooms for students. In addition, the library, refectory/cafeteria and computer center will also find a new home here. The new building and the associated transformation of the site into a central science quarter and campus in the true sense of the word are not only expected to generate synergy effects in the areas of administration, teaching and research, but will also enable the university facilities that were previously scattered around the city to be largely brought together in one place.
Following the completion and occupation of Building C, the renovation of the existing Buildings A and B is planned for the following year. A construction period of 15 months is estimated for this. The client for all the above construction measures is the Ministry of Finance of Rhineland-Palatinate, represented by the Landau branch of the Landesbetrieb Liegenschafts- und Baubetreuung (LBB). The total project is budgeted at 67 million euros in the state budget.
In his welcoming address, University President Prof. Dr. Peter Mudra emphasized the immense importance of the new building for the university: "For our university, which has developed extraordinarily positively in recent years, the implementation of the building plans, which is now beginning, represents a special event. After completion of the new building, the conditions for students, teachers and staff will be significantly improved and there will be a joint campus for the first time - an important step also in the context of the merger of the two previously independent universities of applied sciences in Ludwigshafen in 2008 and a milestone in the development of the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences!"
In his welcoming address, Prof. Dr. Konrad Wolf, Minister for Science, Further Education and Culture of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate, related the development of the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences to the 50th anniversary of the universities of applied sciences (HAW): "Universities of applied sciences work as scientific institutions with a practical orientation. Their hallmark is close contact between students and teachers and a focus on the challenges facing companies and the region. All of this is particularly true of the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences, which has developed excellently in recent years," Wolf said. In addition, the minister praised the strategic reorientation of the university, which is evident in the change of name, and the close links between the university and the city.
In his welcoming address, Dr. Stephan Weinberg, State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and for Construction, emphasized the central role of the new building for both the university and the city: "Together with the existing buildings and the new building now being constructed, this HWG LU site will become a central science quarter that represents an interdisciplinary link between the disciplines. As a distinctive ensemble of buildings, the new central campus will also contribute to urban repair at the prominent location in the urban fabric." He also emphasized the planned high-efficiency insulation and modern heating system. Out of a sense of responsibility towards future generations, he said, it was a natural obligation for the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, as the building owner, to exploit all possibilities for saving energy.
In his welcoming address, Holger Basten, Managing Director of LBB, also emphasized the environmental aspects of the new building: "Energy-efficient construction and a healthy indoor climate are very important to us. Only mineral plasters and emission-free wall paints, carpeting and rubber flooring will be used in the new building. The building's thermal insulation will be 15 percent better than required by the EnEV 2016 energy-saving regulation. We will also achieve this through heavily insulated roof and wall surfaces. A photovoltaic system on the roof contributes to the building's energy supply with climate-friendly generated electricity. In addition to the lead architectural firm agn, 24 planners, engineers and experts are involved in the overall design of this complex building. For the structural implementation, 56 trades are being put out to tender throughout Europe."
Jutta Steinruck, Mayor of the City of Ludwigshafen, praised the achievement and development of the university in the city's welcoming address and, referring to its importance for urban development, said, "Ludwigshafen University is more than an institution of research and teaching - it is in many ways an interwoven urban building block that makes a decisive contribution to the economic, social and cultural life as well as the spatial development of Ludwigshafen." The university's Social Innovation Lab project, which is funded by the Stifterverband and the Dieter Schwarz Foundation and involves the city, BASF and the AOK, is one of many examples of this.
Finally, Chancellor (m.d.d.G.b.) Carolin Nöhrbaß asked for the official groundbreaking ceremony with photo opportunity for the representatives of the media. In addition to the university management and the speakers at the ceremony, the children of the university-affiliated daycare center LUfanten - part of the construction measures on campus already completed in April 2018 and operated by Studierendenwerk Vorderpfalz - helped to shape the groundbreaking ceremony.
The subsequent get-together took place with the kind support of the Studierendenwerk Vorderpfalz.
Here you can watch the RNF video report.
For more information on the new building, please refer to the LBB information flyer.
More impressions of the ceremony and the groundbreaking ceremony can be found on our Facebook page.
