Leuphana University Main Building: A Collaborative Project By Libeskind And Students

2024 Author: David Durham | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 02:26

The central building of the Leuphana University in Lüneburg opened on March 11, 2017, almost six years after the foundation stone was laid on March 8, 2011. The new main building provides the university with an attractive piece of architecture that is linked to other buildings on its campus, making it easier for students and teachers to communicate together. The building, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, is “iconic,” in line with the expectations of an exemplary university like Leuphana, explains Sasha Spone, president of the university.

Ideas for the architecture of the Campus of the Future were developed by university students together with Daniel Libeskind during 14 seminars. At the same time, the focus was on the questions "How do you want to transform your campus?" and "How can a university expand?" Ideas were generated and rejected during the workshops, the first in this series was a 2006 New York seminar. “No one has ever built something like this with creative people who are not architects,” says Libeskind. "Most people think they can't build a building, but these students were able to do it."

The project includes a “stable” façade made of RHEINZINK panels in the form of large rhombuses. An area of about 9,000 square meters is covered by 12,000 of these diamonds. Due to their displacement relative to each other, the facade received a spectacular "scaly" appearance. The panels used are titanium-zinc RHEINZINK-prePATINA walzblank, on the surface of which, over time, under the influence of weather conditions, a natural patina forms.

The emergence of the patina can be seen as a metaphor for the development of Leuphana University, which has evolved from a former barracks into a sought-after, interesting and multifaceted university. On the parts of the façade that were faced a few months earlier, the patina is already clearly visible. In the next few months, patination will continue, and the openness of specific sections of the facade to wind and rain, as well as their slope, are of decisive importance.

The city of Lüneburg received a landmark, thanks to the new building of its university, that influenced its landscape. Leuphana's main building can also be used for cultural events such as concerts in its largest auditorium, Audimax.