Hochschule Geisenheim University today reached a new historic milestone with the official inauguration of the central lecture building, the future heart of the campus.
The lower floor of the building features a large foyer and a lecture hall with 657 seats, which is able to be divided as needed. An open staircase leads to the seminar rooms on the upper floor, which can seat up to 300 students.
One of the seminar rooms is home to the CoLAB space, a room for competence-based, collaborative teaching and learning. The CoLAB is designed around a room-within-a-room concept, with movable partitions and innovative, versatile furniture that can be quickly adapted to create individual islands for different ways of working.
As well as providing a modern space for seminars and lectures, the lecture hall building has been designed as a new venue for the many prestigious regional, national and international conferences and events hosted by Hochschule Geisenheim University.
Investments in the construction of the new building were financed by the HEUREKA university program and amount to a total of €20 million. The building will open for use over the course of the next two weeks.
The Inauguration Ceremony
Various guests from public authorities and the world of politics attended the official inauguration ceremony, including, among others, Christoph Degen, a state secretary at the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Arts and Culture; Thomas Platte, the director of Landesbetrieb Bau und Immobilien Hessen; and Christian Aßmann, the mayor of Geisenheim.
Once the opening ceremony concluded, guests were given a guided tour of the building by its architects and the university’s building officer, Uwe Pohlmann. To conclude the evening, guests had a chance to chat over drinks and snacks. The Geisenheim band Sheep Emely provided music during the event, and Professor Mirjam Hey was responsible for the moderation.
Comments on the Inauguration
Professor Hans Reiner Schultz, the university president: “Hochschule Geisenheim University, with its diverse, praxis-oriented degree programs and broad spectrum of research areas, is always in a process of continual development. Our current construction projects enhance the university’s status as a modern, innovative, and attractive institute of higher education and research. The inauguration of the new lecture hall building is a significant milestone in the history of our university.”
Christoph Degen, state secretary at the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Arts and Culture: “With its unique profile in the areas of wine business, plant science, landscape planning, horticulture, and beverage technology, Hochschule Geisenheim University is a flagship institution for science and education in Hesse with a global impact. The new lecture hall building is key in further developing that presence. The state government is there to support Hochschule Geisenheim University on its exciting path as a Hochschule neuen Typs,or ‘new type’ of university, to the best of its ability, which is why it is my great pleasure to be here at the inauguration today and to wish the university all the best moving forward.”
Thomas Platte, director of Landesbetrieb Bau und Immobilien Hessen: “The newly constructed lecture hall building at Hochschule Geisenheim University is one of many exciting projects that Landesbetrieb Bau und Immobielien Hessen has supervised across the state. With its mix of concrete, wooden elements, and large glass panels, as well as a photovoltaic system and greenery on the roof, this new building combines functionality, sustainability, and architectural quality. As such, the lecture building not only creates more space and optimal working conditions for Geisenheim students, but also serves to reflect the core values of the university.”
Christian Aßmann, mayor of Geisenheim: “The university is an important component of our beautiful town. The construction of the new lecture building represents another significant step in the development of the campus. I would like to congratulate all members of the university on the completion of the building, and I am greatly looking forward to attending many meetings and events in the new space. Ultimately, a growing and vibrant university leads to a growing and vibrant university town.”
Martin Bez, an architect at bez+kock architekten, on the new lecture building and the two new buildings for food-related education and research at the university: “The three new buildings are intended to lend the Geisenheim campus a narrative that captures the university’s identity. Wood and concrete complement each other symbiotically according to their respective strengths and weaknesses. The result is an interaction between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary civil engineering, something we call modern rusticity.”
Further Information
The construction of the new lecture hall building is part of an extensive string of developments for the Geisenheim campus, comprising five new buildings and a row of further investments in the university’s infrastructure.
Two other buildings, namely the Food Safety Building and the Food Logistics and Sustainability Building, have already entered into operation. A new Beverage Technology Center is part of the last phase of construction and is set to be completed in early 2025. One further building, a research center for climate-adapted, sustainable plant protection and cultivation strategies for practical viticulture, is scheduled to open at the end of 2026.
Further information, pictures, and architectural plans for each of the new buildings at Hochschule Geisenheim University can be found here.
