Ceremonial handover of the new ZITh Tübingen building on the Campus of Theologies

170 students and seven professors of Islamic theology study, teach and work in the new building, which is also used by students from the Protestant and Catholic theology faculties and the psychology department. Offices, seminar rooms and a large library are located on an area of 2,600 square meters. The ZITh was previously spread over two locations in Tübingen and now offers a cross-religious campus for theology. Structurally, the striking octagonal building of the Theologikum is integrated into the ensemble and gives the heterogeneous university and clinic buildings of the campus a presence.

The building forms a plinth with two angularly arranged areas that free up the octagonal building and separate it from the existing building. The new building picks up on the rectangularity of the campus building and continues the green fabric of the campus with its staggered slopes. The building blocks enclose a large communal terrace that opens up to the green space of the city cemetery and the tree-lined outdoor area of the Theologikum. This creates space for interfaith dialog, which is enlivened by the cafeteria and two libraries in the octagon building and in the base of the new building. The seminar rooms are located along the access axis, with a library and a small reading courtyard opposite. The administrative offices and chairs are located in the wing buildings. The uniform clinker brick façade visually unifies the building sections and divides the new building into storeys with bands of window openings and air masonry. The new building meets the ambitious energy standards for state buildings.

Photo: Angelika Rösiger

Architecture: Staab Architekten

Structural engineering: Mayer-Vorfelder and Dinkelacker