University of Ulm Engineering Sciences

The extension of the University of Ulm with institute buildings, workshops, lecture halls, technical buildings and a clean room was a unique opportunity for us to show how well the building material wood can be used in a major project despite the high fire protection requirements. The ensemble, which is still one of the largest timber construction projects in Germany today, was awarded the German Timber Construction Prize in 1992. The buildings, which consist of a total of three levels, are constructed as a solid construction in the basement area and on the laboratory level above. The third level, the office floor, was then built in timber construction.

The diagonal 400 m long access zone, on the other hand, is built entirely as a free-standing timber construction. It leans against the comb-like adjoining institutes and shields the building complex from the landscape. At the junctions between the teaching and research areas, the individual buildings are topped by institute towers. MVD remained true to its philosophy here too: all supporting structures are reduced to the essentials in order to ensure flexible and therefore sustainable use.