New Laboratory Building Inaugurated
- Top News
- Studying & Teaching at TU Dortmund University

Ten years passed between the start of the planning phase and the opening ceremony on 6 October. Just three years after construction work began, BLB NRW, the regional building and real estate management agency in North Rhine-Westphalia, was able to hand over the finished building to the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. On the main floor space of 3,300 m2, there are two large areas for practical work as well as research laboratories and offices on four floors.
Architecturally, the new building harmonizes with its neighbors. Inside, it is above all its technical equipment that distinguishes it. There is, for example, a special ventilation system for the chemically contaminated exhaust air which works without fire dampers. There are 300 workplaces for students, some of which – like the entrances too – are accessible.
At the inauguration, Professor Stefan Kast, Dean of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, welcomed the guests. In his inauguration speech, Professor Manfred Bayer, President of TU Dortmund University, voiced his conviction that excellent research will be possible in the new building thanks to its optimal working conditions and wished the chemists working there every success in their studies and research. Max Hansmann, Professor of Organic Chemistry, provided an overview of the history of organic chemistry’s development in the department, which was founded back in 1969 at what is today TU Dortmund University. He emphasized that the new building and its modern facilities make Dortmund even more attractive for (prospective) chemists and offer ideal opportunities for studying and conducting research.
The technical equipment and the laboratory apparatus accounted for about half the costs of the building, which was predominantly financed by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.