Active Sites is being built on the Thurmfeld campus in Essen
HOCHTIEF Infrastructure's Building NRW branch is building the new ACTIVE SITES research center for the internationally renowned water, catalysis and materials research at the University of Duisburg-Essen is building the new ACTIVE SITES research center on the Thurmfeld research and Thurmfeld research and innovation campus in the north of Essen.
The new five-storey building with a gross floor area of approx. 12,000 square meters will be an interdisciplinary research center that will use top-level analytical methods to make the production of green hydrogen more sustainable and energy-efficient, for example, or investigate the influence of stressors on aquatic organisms. For the outstanding interdisciplinary research of the University of Duisburg-Essen, open work areas, shared laboratories as well as office and seminar rooms will be created for the work and intensive exchange of researchers. HOCHTIEF is constructing the heart of the building - around 4,100 square meters of ultra-modern laboratory space - including the complete laboratory equipment.
Sustainable energy supply and mobility
The building also makes a contribution to sustainability: a large-scale photovoltaic system generates electricity for the research center's energy supply. The infrastructure includes sufficient parking spaces for cars and bicycles, some of which are already pre-equipped for later use with e-mobility - a clear sign of sustainable mobility on campus. Two large glass roofs cover the atriums of the inner access zones and provide natural lighting for the adjoining usable areas.
With a gross volume of around 66,300 cubic meters, ACTVE SITES will be one of the largest research buildings in the region. It is the first construction project that the University of Duisburg Essen is managing and realizing independently as the client, thereby contributing to increased efficiency, project duration and flexibility in university construction.
HOCHTIEF and its US company Turner have completed numerous university construction projects, for example in Bochum, Duisburg, Berkeley/USA and Harvard/USA. In Herne, HOCHTIEF is also currently building the new university campus for police and public administration (HSPV). At Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences, HOCHTIEF is responsible for the construction of new faculty buildings in timber construction.
