FOM University in Düsseldorf, Germany’s largest private university, an 8,000 m² building with auditoriums, lecture halls, and seminar rooms is accommodating up to 1,500 students and staff. The new building provides the necessary space for the increasing numbers of students. It is located in „Le Quartier Central“, a newly planned, nearly completed, mixed-use area built on a former freight station in the centrally located Derendorf neighborhood.
The building reflects on the infrastructural context of railway tracks, bridges, ramps and pedestrian connections in the building design. The building’s first floor connects to a bridge with a projecting platform, creating a link between the different urban levels. The outer staircases and fire escape balconies allow for the compact circulation areas inside the building. Some curved balconies are connected to outdoor stairs, making the escape route for the upper floors more efficient. The inside of the building opens up to a sculptural staircase, leading the generous foyer upwards to connect all four auditorium levels. Separate from the academic floors, the administration and the student information center are located on the 4th floor.
J.MAYER.H und Partner, Architekten mbB
Client: BildungsCentrum der Wirtschaft gemeinnuetzige GmbH, Essen
Tenant: FOM Hochschule Düsseldorf
Construction: December 2013 – March 2017
Photoshoot commissioned by J.Mayer H. and Partners | FOM