143 million euros, 19,000 square meters of effective space and a planned construction period of four years. On Tuesday, May 16, 2018, the laying of the foundation stone for the new building of the Department of Sport and Health Sciences as well as the University Sport Center (ZHS) took place in a ceremonial atmosphere. The official groundbreaking was performed by Prof. Dr. Marion Kiechle, Bavarian State Minister for Science and the Arts, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c mult. Wolfgang A. Herrmann, President of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Prof. Dr. Ansgar Schwirtz, Dean of the Department of Sport and Health Sciences, as well as Michael Hahn, Director of the ZHS.
By 2022, the Free State of Bavaria will be investing 143 million euros. For this sum, the TUM Campus in the Olympiapark will represent the largest and most modern sport campus in Europe. To a large extent, the building structures will consist of wood and glass. Special attention has been put on accessibility, which has been implemented consistently.
Prof. Schwirtz is pleased to say that, "with the new building we will have the best opportunities to advance our scientific research further, to experience our interdisciplinary orientation on the new campus and to also open our studies in the future through trend-setting vocational fields." The dean is additionally of the opinion that the new building will "continue to increase" the international prominence of the faculty.
Prof. Kiechle, Minister for Science and the Arts, stressed that the new building will also serve to expand "the excellence of the TUM". "We create optimal conditions for sports and the health sciences. In view of the current and future challenges which stand before the faculty regarding research and education, and involving such social megatopics as health, prevention and physical activity, this is an important and correct step."
Also the TUM President, Prof. Herrmann, points out the trend-setting significance of these topics. "Movement and nutrition are of utmost importance, supplementing one another with preventative factors for maintaining health. Their scientific basis and infiltration are the tasks of a university, which here, like no other in Germany, demonstrates the associated anchoring departments at its disposal."
"Sharpening the scientific profile thereby stands at the top of the agenda," added the president. This is obligatory for the excellence of the TUM as well as for the generous new building investment by the Free State of Bavaria. According to Herrmann, new vocations are already under way at the interfaces between sport and health, nature and engineering sciences as well as medicine. In the medium term the supervisory relationship between students and professors of 200 to 1 must be drastically improved. A new developmental and structural concept should contribute to this.
Europe's largest sport campus
In the former site of the Olympic park, a building complex with six inner courts will be constructed over the coming four years. The buildings will primarily be constructed of wood and glass. "I am pleased to see that we can realize this building structure which can be integrated serenely into the ensemble of the Olympic park and, at the same time, makes use of the progressive method of timber construction," says Anja Hagemoser from the Munich 2 State Construction Authorities. The draft by the Bregenz architect's office of Dietrich Untertrifaller actually consciously revived the idea once again of an "olympic landscape". "The dimensions of the new sport center in the Olympic park with its timber construction may even be record-breaking," explains Helmut Dietrich, acting partner in the architect's office - "indeed with all the qualities of lightness, sustainability and energy efficiency. The method of construction and architecture are a logical reflection of the sporty conceptual formulation of the tasks at hand and the special place in the historic park."
Reports in TV, radio, newspapers and the Internet
The media has reported extensively on this event. Hereby, the Bayerische Rundfunk (Bavarian broadcasting network) showed the topic in the evening Bavarian newscast and Sat.1 Bavaria also reported news about this. Different daily newspapers like the Süddeutsche, Müchner Merkur, Abendzeitung and the TZ published articles, several radio stations such as, for instance, Antenne Bayern transmitted broadcasts or mentioned the groundbreaking in their newscasts.
Links to the media reports (a sampling)
To the Abendschau TV newscast by the Bayerischen Rundfunk (starting minute 6:52)
To the Sat.1 Bavaria TV broadcast (starting minute 16:16)
Article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung
Article in the Münchner Merkur
Contact:
Birgit Gaal
Team Assistant to the Dean of the Departement of Sport and Health Sciences
Georg-Brauchle Ring 60/62
80992 Munich
Telephone: 089 289 24601
Email: Birgit.Gaal(at)tum.de
Text: Fabian Kautz
Photos: Astrid Eckert /TUM; Renderings: Dietrich Untertrifaller Architect's office