Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society (HWG LU) celebrated the ground-breaking ceremony for the new construction of the future Building C today, Friday, November 8, 2019, marking the start of a central campus in Ludwigshafen-Mundenheim. Minister of Science Prof. Dr. Konrad Wolf, Ludwigshafen's Lord Mayor Jutta Steinruck, State Secretary of Finance Dr. Stephan Vineyard and LBB Managing Director Holger Basten acknowledged this milestone in the development of Ludwigshafen University with their words of welcome.
On Friday, November 8, 2019, Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society celebrated the ground-breaking ceremony for the new construction of the future Building C on the site of the former student parking lot on the corner of Ernst-Boehe-Straße and Ludwig-Reichling-Straße in the presence of Minister of Science Prof. Dr. Konrad Wolf, State Secretary of Finance Dr. Stephan vineyard and Ludwigshafen Mayor Jutta Steinruck. The new three-storey building, which is due to be completed in December 2022, will have a floor area of 45 x 125 meters and offer 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, canteen/cafeteria and computer center will also find a new home here. It is hoped that the new building and the associated transformation of the site into a central science quarter and campus in the true sense of the word will not only create synergy effects in the areas of administration, education and research, but will also largely bring together the university facilities that were previously scattered around the city in one place.
Following the completion and occupation of building C, the refurbishment 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 construction measures mentioned is the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Finance, represented by the Landau branch of the Landesbetrieb Liegenschafts- und Baubetreuung (LBB). The overall project is estimated to cost 67 million euros in the state budget.
In his welcoming address, University President Prof. Dr. Peter Mudra underlined the immense importance of the new building for the university: "For our university, which has developed extremely positively in recent years, the start of the implementation of the construction plans is a special event. After completion of the new building, the conditions for students, teaching staff and employees will be significantly improved and there will be a joint campus for the first time - an important step 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 Business and Society!"
In his welcoming address, Prof. Dr. Konrad Wolf, Minister for Science, Further Education and Culture 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 the close contact between students and lecturers as well as their focus on the challenges facing companies and the region. This is particularly true of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, which has developed extremely well in recent years," said Wolf. The Minister also 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 Vineyard, State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Building, underlined the central role of the new building for 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 scientific quarter that represents an interdisciplinary link between the different subject areas. As a distinctive ensemble of buildings, the new central campus will also contribute to urban renewal at this prominent location in the urban fabric." He also emphasized the planned highly efficient insulation and the modern heating system. As a result of its responsibility towards future generations, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, as the building owner, has a natural obligation to make use of every opportunity to save energy.
Holger Basten, Managing Director of Landesbetrieb LBB, also emphasized the environmental aspects of the new building in his welcoming address: "Energy-efficient construction and a healthy indoor climate are very important to us. Only mineral plaster and emission-free wall paints, carpet and rubber floor coverings will be used in the new building. The building's thermal insulation will be 15 percent better than required by the Energy Saving Ordinance EnEV 2016. 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 electricity. In addition to the lead architect's office 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 across Europe."
Jutta Steinruck, Lord Mayor of the City of Ludwigshafen, paid tribute to the achievements and development of the university in her welcoming address and said with regard to its importance for urban development: "Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society is more than an institution of research and education - it is often 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, funded by the Stifterverband and the Dieter Schwarz Foundation with the participation of the city, BASF and AOK, is one of many examples of this.
Degree, Chancellor Carolin Nöhrbaß invited representatives of the media to the official ground-breaking ceremony and photo opportunity. In addition to the university management and the speakers at the ceremony, the children from the university's LUfanten daycare center - part of the construction work on campus completed in April 2018 and operated by Studierendenwerk Vorderpfalz - also took part in the ground-breaking ceremony.
The subsequent get-together took place with the kind support of Studierendenwerk Vorderpfalz.
You can watch the RNF video here.
For more information on the new building, please refer to the LBB information flyer
Further impressions of the ceremony and ground-breaking ceremony can be found on our Facebook page.
