MIN Forum Hamburg

The two new university buildings, the MIN Forum and the Computer Science Building, encompass and extend the new campus square. The square extends deep into the new MIN Forum. The spectacular interior of the university building thus becomes an extension of the urban space. As with a city loggia, the building and the city are interdependent: The symbiosis of public space and adjacent buildings creates a generosity that meets the high demands of the university's ‘forum’. The striking form and choice of materials with vertically arranged exposed brickwork also contribute to this. A new central location is being created on the campus of the Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences at the University of Hamburg on the main road in the Elmsbüttel district. It has the potential to become a landmark for the university as it redefines itself.

The original university buildings from the 1960s are oriented towards Grindelallee. In future, however, the federal highway will organise and open up the MIN Campus. The overlap of the two geometric reference systems creates exciting, varied urban spaces. This potential is exploited in the design of both the outdoor and open spaces and the buildings. The two U-shaped structures interlock with the surrounding urban space. This creates generous urban spaces that allow for wide views and optimal lighting in the very dense building structure. The MIN Forum is set back slightly from the federal highway, thus providing a good introduction to the sequence of paths and squares leading to the campus square and connecting the new forum with the various institutes and facilities of the university on the federal highway.