"Some construction projects are real matters of the heart for me".

"It's fascinating to see how something great can come out of an idea. If you walk north from the campus at Holländischer Platz, you'll encounter many examples of this: the Campus Center, the LEO learning center, the two gatehouses and the Science Park reflect the enormous growth of Kassel University in recent years. They show what is possible when you stick to an idea.

The structural changes at the university are a topic that has accompanied me for a long time. During my architecture studies, I experienced the expansion of the then comprehensive university in the southern area of the campus. Now, as an architect in the Department of Construction, Technology and Real Estate, I have the chance to help design the new, northern part. With all the construction projects that have been realized in recent years, I also have a personal story to tell. I was involved in some way in every project. Some of them I merely initiated or helped plan in the early stages, others I accompanied from the initial concept to completion. And then there are building projects that were a real affair of the heart for me - like the student house, which was completed in November 2019.

There has been a lot of discussion about the future use of the head buildings of the former Gottschalk cloth factory, and there was even talk of demolishing the historic building fabric. From my point of view, this had to be avoided. I came up with the idea of creating a central place for student groups here. A building that provides space for the AStA and student departments. A building that is both a place to study and a place to work, and that houses a cultural center with plenty of space for events. My initial thoughts turned into a wonderful idea and finally into a concept with which I was able to convince colleagues and the presidium.  

For me, architecture is first and foremost about planning buildings for the people who use them. They should identify with the place that becomes theirs and feel comfortable there. That's why I take their wishes seriously and involve them in the planning process right from the start. This was also the case with the student house: The students were part of the planning team and were able to help decide what their rooms would look like. The biggest challenge was to reconcile the different needs and requirements. The result is a building that offers a multifunctional, spacious room concept while visibly incorporating the traces of history. I am very pleased that this has been so successful. The Studierendenhaus has filled a place in Kassel's history with life again."