The private university Witten/Herdecke with around 3,000 students is located in the triangle between Bochum, Dortmund and Hagen. It is well embedded in the landscape due to its proximity to the adjacent Pferdebachtal valley and received an extension in 2021, which is made almost entirely of wood. In the midst of heterogeneous existing buildings, this is the link and independent campus center, offering space for a library, café and numerous seminar rooms. The project was planned and implemented by Berlin architects Kaden +Lager, now Lager Schwertfeger and Kaden +. Its founders, Tom Kaden and Markus Lager, have made a name for themselves as timber construction pioneers and experts. They now each run their own architecture firms.

The approximately 7,000 m², three-and-a-half-storey new building consists of a first floor, a hillside floor, an upper floor and a staggered storey, which has roof terraces due to recesses towards the park. The cubic building sections border the park on the slope to the south, while a new square was created towards the street, half of the rectangle of which is enclosed by the new building. Apart from the concrete foundations and plinth, only wood was used for the construction and surfaces. 1,200 m³ of certified spruce wood and around 10,000 prefabricated timber construction elements make up the impressive timber balance. These bind around 1,200 tons of CO₂ and the absence of steel and concrete accounts for a further 850 tons. The larch wood, which currently gives the façade a warm brown tone, will turn grey in the coming years due to the weather. Students were also involved in the planning and their wishes and needs are reflected in the building. The result is nine seminar rooms, seven of which can be flexibly combined for 25 to 200 people, a multi-storey library, a flexible event room for up to 350 people, 100 office workstations for different uses, 26 student group study rooms and around 100 open study spaces in communication zones, a café with a lounge area and outdoor terrace, a quiet room, a winter garden and three roof terraces. All parts of the building can be accessed from the central main entrance, which is clearly visible from the outside. It is not only a circulation area, but also a communicative space for students and teaching staff alike. For safety reasons, the stairwells and elevator shafts have a traditional design, but otherwise the interior is also dominated by naturalness. Wooden surfaces and plenty of daylight create a cozy atmosphere, ensure a good quality of stay and a good indoor climate.

www.kadenplus.de
www.lagerschwertfeger.de

Photos:

Johannes Buldmann
www.johannes-buldmann.squarespace.com

(Published in CUBE Ruhr Area 01|22)