New construction phase at Bielefeld's university: renovations start in May 2025!

New construction phase at Bielefeld's university: renovations start in May 2025!

The second construction phase on the main university building (UHG) in Bielefeld will begin on April 30, 2025. The first work is planned for the beginning of May 2025. This is an important step in the comprehensive renovation of the main university building, which officially started in autumn 2024 with the handover of the renovated first construction phase. The renovation projects, including the work in the second construction phase, are taking place during ongoing university operations and require a technical separation of the construction site area from the rest of the building.

At the end of April 2025, building sections C, L and T were completely cleared and handed over to the North Rhine-Westphalia Construction and Real Estate Company (BLB NRW). In order to make the second section useful, not only did the affected areas have to be cleared, but users also had to move to the completed areas of the first section, which began in autumn 2024. The Bielefeld University has big plans for the renovation and is sticking to its concept, which includes shops, restaurants and other facilities.

Technical separation and conversion

As part of the upcoming renovation, various technical infrastructures such as electricity and heat in building parts T, L and C must be decoupled from the rest of the UHG. The construction plan also provides for a new passageway that connects the old and new areas of the university hall. This means that students and employees continue to have access to the central open-plan toilet facilities and the existing shopping options remain unchanged.

A significant point of the renovation is the replacement of the so-called “stairway to nowhere” with a new staircase. In addition, the student council (AStA) has changed location due to the construction work, as has the campus radio Hertz 87.9. Furthermore, the lecture halls and seminar rooms that will be eliminated in the second construction phase will be compensated for by rooms in the first construction phase and additional teaching areas in the Y building.

Libraries and future use

The library space that will be lost in this section will be replaced by an interim building between the UHG and the X building. This temporary structure will house the specialist library of the Faculty of Linguistics and Literary Studies, while other specialist libraries will remain in existing parts of the main building. Discussions with future users about their wishes and needs have already taken place and will be incorporated into further planning.

Plans for a third construction phase are also in progress, which will focus on modernizing the laboratory infrastructure for scientific research. BLB NRW plans to use Integrated Project Management (IPA) for this phase, and the first ground surveys for anchoring construction site cranes are planned by 2026. These comprehensive measures are part of a long-term strategy to improve and maintain university buildings, the financing needs of which are discussed in reports from the HIS Institute for University Development ( HIS ).