SEHW Architektur

Hidden in the Green Grass…
On Campus Student Living at the TH Wildau, Studentenwerk Potsdam.

The new campus of the TH Wildau (Technical University of Applied Sciences) did not emerge on a green meadow, but rather in an urban ensemble of impressive industrial architecture – what was once Europe’s largest locomotive factory (Schwartzkopffs Lokomotivfabrik of the Berliner Maschinenbau AG, BMAG). The largest current university construction project in the state of Brandenburg is based on the first prize of the design competition carried out in 2006.

While the two lecture and research buildings – Haus 16 (the Verfügungsgebäude that accommodates aerospace engineering, engineering management, bioinformatics, logistics, and telematics) and the landmarked Halle 17 (workshop for administration and central lecture halls) – are in the final stages of completion, the student dormitories were already handed over to the building owner, the Studentenwerk Potsdam, at the end of September. Students moved into the building punctually at the beginning of the semester.

The design for the ensemble follows a strong urban planning concept that determines the forms of the buildings. The architecture breaks with the historical-orthogonal composition and enables new lines of sight and pathways between the buildings. It thereby creates lively outdoor spaces with high amenity values. This idea is extended in the interiors where axes narrow and broaden creating streets and squares that function as meeting places.

The contours of the student dormitories incorporate the main lines of sight, one of which breaks through the Verfügungsgebäude, continues along Halle 17, and finally discloses the view of the historic smokestack of the industrial site. The diagonal thoroughfare between the dormitory and the Verfügungsgebäude separates the working area from the residential area. It creates shortcuts and vistas and it forms a transition from the urban character of the campus to a more intimate area of student living.

The emphasis on communication and access areas is also shown in the design of the dormitory. In contrast to common typologies, access to the building was granted by means of light and friendly outdoor arcade, thereby avoiding dark, interior access areas.

Conceptually and constructively, the building is conceived in layers. A reinforced-concrete core and supply shafts form the innermost layer. The next layer is made up of the private quarters of the rooms with bath and sleeping area. The rooms then open up and the working area and kitchen are oriented toward the surroundings. Access areas become communication zones and offer a balcony-like extension of the students’ rooms.

The overhanging arcade was surrounded with a light dress of printed panes of glass that are partially floor-to-ceiling and partially parapet-high, thereby breaking with the negative connotations of the arcade type. The print shows enormous blades of grass and lets the access areas seem like calmer, semi-private spaces without separating them from the surroundings and darkening them.

An inviting reception area and a common room on the ground floor was created by broadening the hallway and angling one residential wing. Above the foyer, the arcade is extended by a terrace that invites collective living. The outdoor facilities complement these communicative spaces with a barbecue area and a meadow.

Due to its green tone, the façade radiates freshness and friendliness. Colors also set strong accents in the apartments. Through the interplay of glass, plaster, and exposed concrete, the material design combines smooth and rough surfaces that provide a varied haptic experience.

While students usually decide to live in student dormitories due only to financial and practical considerations, aesthetic aspects now enter the equation in Wildau. Here one does not merely house, one lives. Together. On Campus. In nature!