Saarbrücken

Saarland University – Faculty of Philosophy: Renovation and New Construction

The Saarbrücken campus of Saarland University comprises 108 buildings, including 30 historic structures. The comprehensive renovation of Building C5.2 has transformed this iconic building of the Faculty of Philosophy into a structure fit for the future. Adjacent to it, the new C7.5 building complements the complex and provides additional space for teaching and research. wpw was responsible for planning the technical systems and thermal building physics.

In the area of technical equipment, wpw provided standard design services in accordance with HOAI for the technical systems in cost groups 410 through 430, as well as 470 and 480—including plumbing, heating, ventilation, application-specific systems, and building automation technology. In addition, wpw provided consulting services on thermal building physics and conducted verification in accordance with the Building Energy Act (GEG), including summer heat protection.

The goal was to preserve the characteristic architecture of the existing buildings and to integrate the new structure seamlessly into the existing complex. As the university’s largest seminar building, C7.5 offers 45 seminar rooms and a lecture hall with 266 seats. Modern media technology enables contemporary teaching formats, including hybrid events. In response to climate trends, the lecture hall and seminar rooms were equipped not only with structural sunshades but also with sustainable adiabatic pre-conditioning of the ventilation systems and a comfortable peak-load cooling ceiling. This also enables efficient low-temperature heating in the winter.