Cornerstone laid: Ed. Züblin AG starts construction of new building at campus of Cologne University of Music and Dance

• Design-and-build from a single source: ZÜBLIN Subdivision NRW realises new university location in the centre of Cologne
• Large-scale project in two parts: existing building already in the process of being fully refurbished
• Turnkey construction with integrated planning and building design on behalf of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Office for Properties and Construction

Ed. Züblin AG has set a first milestone during construction of the new campus for the University of Music and Dance (HfMT) in the heart of Cologne. With the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone for the new three-storey extension, the North Rhine-Westphalia State Office for Properties and Construction (BLB NRW) on 27 September officially launched the building work on a new, central section of the ongoing development project. The new university campus in the Kunibertsviertel neighbourhood near Cologne Cathedral also includes the adjacent three- to four-storey building complex of the former University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration that ZÜBLIN has been fully refurbishing for its new purpose since February of this year. Together with the existing main building, the renovation and the new construction will result in a larger, centrally located campus for the University of Music and Dance.
As design-and-build contractor, ZÜBLIN Subdivision NRW is in charge of planning and realising the two-part campus project, including outdoor facilities, for the Cologne office of BLB NRW in a partnering-based turnkey process. The complex construction design is being carried out by the ZÜBLIN project team from the Cologne and Cologne-Bonn business units, drawing on the expertise of the general planning business unit at Zentrale Technik, Ed. Züblin AG’s in-house engineering office. The entire campus is scheduled for completion in 2026. A process has already been launched to certify the construction site as sustainable by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).
“Fit-out in accordance with latest sustainability standards”
The new campus will bring together the previously separate departments of the Cologne University of Music and Dance at a single location in the centre of the city. The spacious, park-like campus being created between Dagobertstraße and Türmchenswall will be open to the public and to the people of Cologne.
“The campus will be fitted out in accordance with the latest sustainability standards. A photovoltaic system with a peak output of 100,000 kilowatt hours per year will supply the building’s own electricity needs. The roof is being greened to provide a habitat for plants and insects and to contribute positively to the urban climate. The extensive green area of the campus, with 32 trees, will also help to improve the climate in the city centre”, explains Gabriele Willems, Managing Director of BLB NRW.
“We are proud to be in charge of the design and turnkey construction of such an exemplary project for sustainable mixed-use development in Cologne. In the coordination of new construction and refurbishment, we can count on the constructive and partnership-based teamwork with the people from BLB Cologne. The new campus of the University of Music and Dance is being built in a central location in the city, which represents a challenge for construction site logistics. At the same time, the technically complex refurbishment of the former university of applied sciences buildings is another chance for us to demonstrate Ed. Züblin AG’s expertise in the reconstruction, conversion and refurbishment of existing buildings,” says Christian von Kutzschenbach, project manager at ZÜBLIN.
New façade as a shop window to the city
The heart of the university campus will be the new 2,500 m² extension building with a large glass façade that will act like a shop window to the city. The three upper floors and one basement level will accommodate a combined two-storey concert and dance hall, an open foyer, a cafeteria, practice rooms and a second dance hall.
The building’s use entails special requirements in terms of acoustics and sound insulation, which were given high priority by the ZÜBLIN project team during the design and construction process. With the dismantling of the two-storey underground car park beneath the previous inner courtyard of the university of applied sciences and the parallel construction of the foundation pit in recent weeks, ZÜBLIN has prepared the site for the start of the structural works for the new building. A second crane will be installed on the construction site and the base slab will be poured in October.
Technically challenging renovation
The renovation works on the adjacent building of the former university of applied sciences are simultaneously proceeding at full speed. In preparation for the large-scale conversion works, ZÜBLIN Subdivision NRW gutted the four-part building ensemble on behalf of BLB NRW and carried out a thorough remediation of the site. When completed, the L-shaped building complex will provide space for a large three-storey library as well as exercise and administration rooms, a children’s day-care centre, storage rooms and technical areas with a total usable floor space of around 4,000 m² distributed over three to four storeys and a basement level. Until then, the ZÜBLIN project team must carry out extensive structural and technical retrofitting works on the building to prepare it for its new purpose.
The focus is on reconstruction, conversion and refurbishment instead of demolition and new construction. New ceilings are being installed all around the building to handle the higher load-bearing requirements. The roof is being rebuilt and all windows replaced to improve energy efficiency. In short, the experts from Ed. Züblin AG are working to create a “good-as-new” building inside old walls while preserving, as much as possible, the existing mixed fabric dating from 1911 and the 1980s – a project that is as sustainable as it is challenging.