Winner of the Architecture Competition for the Bahrenfeld Learning Center Announced
A central gathering place for students and faculty, the scientific community, the broader urban community, and the neighborhood in Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld shape
The Bahrenfeld Learning Center is set to become a central hub for researchers and students at the University of Excellence Hamburg within Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld SCHB). To bring the project to fruition, the Landesbetrieb Immobilienmanagement und Grundvermögen LIG), which is part of the Finance Authority, announced a two-stage architectural competition. A total of eight renowned international design teams participated in the competition. The winning team was Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects K/S (Copenhagen) in collaboration with DFZ-Architekten GmbH (Hamburg). The jury commended the design, among other things, for its coherent concept and effective integration of the existing buildings.
The Learning Center is an expansion of the existing buildings Albert-Einstein-Ring and will serve as a central hub for learning and campus life. It is Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld as a modern learning environment for the approximately 5,500 students of the University of Hamburg in Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld . It will bring together central learning and teaching spaces, areas for information services, and student support services under one roof. Together with the planned lecture hall center, it will connect Campus West the future Campus East, thereby forming an important axis linking DESY the University of Hamburg’s existing locations to the newly developing part of Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld (SCHB). The Learning Center will be realized through the transformation of an existing complex managed by the State Agency for Real Estate Management and Land Assets. The winning design impressed the jury with its high spatial quality, clear concept, and sensitive approach to the existing building stock. The jury anticipates that the project’s completion will generate significant appeal and visibility for the University of Hamburg and Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld. The Learning Center will be an integral part of an educational program set within the context of cutting-edge international research. From the theoretical foundations of physics, chemistry, and biology to practical applications in materials science and quantum computing, Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld combines Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld unique infrastructure. As a link between the campus and the neighborhood, the Learning Center serves as a visible symbol of forward-looking scientific and urban development within the SCHB.
Finance Senator Dr. Andreas Dressel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of LIG: “Science City is taking shape step by step. The next important step is the Learning Center, which will become a central hub of this neighborhood in the 2030s. Three existing buildings will be transformed into a new complex, and we are making the most of what is already in place. This further development of our property thus also serves as a model in terms of sustainability. Many thanks to everyone involved for their commitment to this process. Now it’s time to move forward with the next steps without delay.”
Maryam Blumenthal, Senator for Science, Research, and Equality: “Scientific excellence is not just a matter of research, but also a matter of knowledge transfer. The Learning Center embodies precisely this principle and aligns with the core philosophy of Science City: Innovative ideas emerge through direct exchange, networking, and opening up science to the wider urban community. The winning design of the architectural competition also brings this concept to life through its architecture. I extend my warmest congratulations to the winning team!”
Franz-Josef Höing, Chief Architect: “We’re all talking about how we need to pay more attention to our existing building stock. We’re talking about repurposing and expanding existing structures. The Learning Center in Science City can serve as a good example of this—it can give rise to a type of architecture where this new approach will be evident both inside and out. And it’s about time.”
Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren, President of the University of Hamburg: “With the Learning Center, a new hub of campus life for our students is taking shape in Science City Bahrenfeld. The winning design creates the right spatial conditions for collaborative, research-based learning. As a university of excellence, we are thus sending a clear signal in support of excellent, research-oriented teaching.”
Dr. Andreas Kleinau, Chairman of the Executive Board of Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld : “With Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld , we Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld a new academic home for thousands of students—and the Learning Center will be its heart: a place where people come together, network, work together, and learn. By building intelligently on existing structures, we are further developing this complex into a central component of the academic ecosystem.”
Dr. Sebastian Kloth, Head of Altona: “In a central location, Science City Hamburg-Bahrenfeld will emerge over the coming decades as a vibrant neighborhood where, for the first time, cutting-edge research will be integrated with urban life. Not in an ivory tower, but surrounded by apartments, cafés, shops, daycare centers, schools, and a new university campus, work will be done to find solutions to the problems facing current and future generations. On an area the size of 175 soccer fields, people will come together, learn from one another, and work together to bring good ideas to life. The Bahrenfeld Learning Center will play its part in this.”
Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld one of Hamburg’s largest and most important projects for the future. It brings together world-class international research and university education with innovative companies and modern urban development in a livable neighborhood. Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld developed over a total area of 125 hectares through the 2040s. Partners include the German Electron Synchrotron DESY, European XFEL, Fraunhofer, the Max Planck Society, the University of Hamburg, and many other high-profile organizations. At the same time, space is being created for companies within a unique innovation ecosystem, as well as new neighborhoods with thousands of affordable apartments. The development is being carried out in close collaboration between stakeholders from the scientific and business communities and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. www.sciencecity.hamburg
You can view images of the interior here https://dokumente.hamburg.de/go/1196244 .
Credit: Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects K/S, Copenhagen (DK), in collaboration with DFZ Architekten GmbH, Hamburg.
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