Steinfurt Campus, Reconstructions of Buildings C+Q and New Parking Structure, FH Münster (University of Applied Sciences)

In 2021, we won the planning competition for the reconstruction of buildings C and Q. The bidding procedure called for a master plan centered on the modernization and further development of the campus. The new laboratory buildings serve the departments of Chemical Engineering, Energy - Building Services - Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Engineering Physics, and will provide future students and researches with high-quality facilities.

While the street frontage forms a clearly defined edge that establishes a strong architectural boundary to the city, the elevations facing the campus are more varied. Green facades strengthen the relationship between the building and its outdoor context. New and existing structures come together to form a cohesive ensemble organized around a central courtyard, which offers generous outdoor common areas for gathering, events, and informal exchange among students and faculty. Tiny forests in the courtyard and north of the parking structure offer additional retention areas.

A new connecting path provides the main access to the buildings and structures the entire campus. Its key nodes are marked by sheltered communal zones, outdoor teaching spaces, seating areas, and bicycle facilities. Second-story bridges link the new buildings C and Q to the adjacent existing structures, ensuring direct, efficient movement for students and staff while horizontally integrating the various building clusters into a unified whole.

As a contribution to resource conservation, the ventilated aluminum trapezoidal sheet metal façade of Campus Building Q will be constructed using reused façade elements from a building currently being dismantled in Munich. In cooperation with SWM Munich, the materials were assessed and approved by experts for reuse in the new university building.

Offcut material from the façade will be repurposed into foyer furniture, mobile planting systems, planters, and wayfinding elements. This approach demonstrates how circular construction can be implemented within a public building process while contributing to the reduction of CO₂ emissions and extending the lifecycle of building materials.

Greened roof areas maximize rainwater retention, storing rainwater on-site and creating a valuable reserve. During the hot summer months, this will have a positive, cooling effect on the campus’s microclimate. Open facades provide natural ventilation, while a green shell of vertically arranged plantings offers habitat for countless insects. Photovoltaic modules on the southern facade form the vertical boundary at the top of the buildings and generate additional energy. As part of the mobility concept, parking space integrated into the ground floor in the campus’ southern area accommodates 100 bicycles in an optimal location along the central east-west path.