New University lecture hall centerMeeting place in Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld takes shape

29 September 2025, by Newsroom editorial office

Photo: Büro Luchterhandt & Partner

The design envisages an inviting foyer from which the large lecture hall is developed. The student cafeteria is connected to the foyer via a spacious staircase and an elevator. The teaching and lecture rooms are arranged around the atrium on the 2 upper floors. There will be open learning zones in the galleries.

Photo: Büro Luchterhandt & Partner

The University’s lecture hall center will be the first building block for science in the planned campus district in the Volkspark neighborhoods, bringing together all lecture halls and seminar rooms at the same location; complemented by the planned student cafeteria it will be one of the central points of contact for students and staff. The center will be located directly on Luruper Chaussee, along the central campus axis, as an extension of the current research campus entrance.

The Science City is growing. And so is campus of the University of Hamburg and other scientific institutions in Bahrenfeld. Aiming to provide the perfect physical infrastructure for forward-looking research, the architectural competition for the construction of the University of Hamburg’s new lecture hall center has now been completed.

The design by the renowned Munich architectural firm Nickl & Partner won the planning competition. A total of 12 international planning teams took part in the Europe-wide structural engineering competition.

The lecture hall center is an important cornerstone of excellent teaching for about 5,500 students in the Science City. Right in the middle of the future campus area of the Volkspark neighborhood district, the lecture hall center will be the first building block of science, uniting all lecture halls and seminar rooms under one roof. Together with the planned student cafeteria, it will be a key contact point for students and staff. The Volkspark neighborhoods link science and education with a lively neighborhood and green open spaces. They are being developed by the municipal company Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld GmbH.

Expanding the current campus entrance along the central campus axis, the new lecture hall center can be entered via Luruper Chaussee up to the campus agora. The foyer is adjoined by a large 700-seat lecture hall and a student cafeteria. Seating steps offer students an opportunity to linger and exchange ideas.

The winning design envisages a simple, pleasantly calm structure for the lecture hall center. A spacious, inviting foyer with a vertical connection to the atrium will be created via the entrance on Luruper Chaussee to also provide access to the major lecture hall. The student cafeteria facing the campus agora is connected to the foyer via a generously-spaced staircase and an elevator. The required teaching and lecture rooms are arranged around the atrium on the 2 upper floors. Well-functioning, open learning areas are arranged on the galleries around the atrium, some of which relate to the outside space. The design impresses with the quality and great functionality of the teaching and learning spaces.

Senator for science, research and equality, Maryam Blumenthal: “The Science City is a district where academia comes alive— it is a place where people from all walks of life come together to learn, work, and live. Here, our lecture hall center is to create a meeting space for people to enjoy and we are delighted we found a design that allows us to offer a sustainable architecture for excellent teaching and exchange under one roof. Students can look forward to an inspiring learning environment in the heart of the campus area. I would like to thank everyone who took part in the competition with so many ideas and designs and congratulate the winning team!”

Prof. Dr. Natalia Filatkina, vice president for studies and teaching at the University of Hamburg: ”With the new lecture hall center, we are creating outstanding conditions for Universität Hamburg—University of Excellence to offer studies and teaching at the highest level in Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld. Future generations of natural science students will benefit greatly from this. Students, teaching staff, and researchers will not only find modern facilities here, but also a place to meet and exchange ideas—a central building block for a lively, open, and forward-looking campus and learning culture.”

Martin Sowinski, Managing Director Sprinkenhof GmbH: “As developers, we are delighted to realize the first building block on the science campus of the future Science City with the winning design. The chosen design represents a triad of architectural quality, fulfillment of the qualitative requirements and economic feasibility. As a municipal partner, we are enthusiastic and motivated to face this and future challenges in the interest of the desired further development of Hamburg as a science location.”

Franz-Josef Höing, Head of Public Works: “The new lecture hall center will be a welcoming, transparent building where people can spend quality time. The design succeeds in organizing the functions of a lecture hall center in a coherent way on the inside, formulates a good address on Luruper Chaussee on the outside and fits readily into the planned urban context of Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld.”