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Four people are talking to each other in front of a window. © Felix Schmale​/​TU Dortmund
Presence in City Center

TU Dortmund University Signs Lease for Hansa Carré

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A group of six people are standing in front of a window overlooking a Christmas market, one woman is holding a large picture in her hands. © Oliver Schaper​/​TU Dortmund
Attended the signing of the rental agreement at the Westphalian Industry Club on Alter Markt (from left to right): Erich Dreier, Lord Mayor Thomas Westphal, Science Minister Ina Brandes, TU President Manfred Bayer, Martin Dreier and TU Chancellor Markus Neuhaus. The Hansa Carré can be seen in the background on the left.
TU Dortmund University wants to substantially expand its presence in the city center and is expected to move into Hansa Carré in fall 2026. The university’s president, Professor Manfred Bayer, signed a corresponding long-term lease with realtors DIAG Immobilien on 15 November 2024. Four floors of the building in the heart of Dortmund will be converted into learning spaces for students as well as rooms for events and concerts. Ina Brandes, Minister of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, highlighted that this decision will create an attractive learning environment in the city center for 30,000 students. Thomas Westphal, the city’s Lord Mayor, applauded the fact that such conversions it will enliven the city center.

Retailers are increasingly giving up space in city centers, and Dortmund is no exception. The vacancy rate in Hansa Carré, despite its central location on the former site of Dortmund’s medieval town hall between Hansaplatz and Alter Markt, was also rising. For TU Dortmund University, which was planned around 60 years ago on a greenfield site on the western edge of the city, this is a good opportunity to establish an “offshoot” in the city center. “This move is our response to the strong wish expressed by students for additional learning facilities in the city center that are more accessible than our campus in Barop und Eichlinghofen, especially at weekends and in the evenings,” explained Professor Manfred Bayer, President of TU Dortmund University. The university’s presence in the city center has been a matter close to his heart ever since he took up office in 2020. “It is also an opportunity for our university to enhance its visibility and establish closer relations with Dortmund citizens.”  

5,000 m² for learning spaces, seminar rooms and events

Hansa Carré belongs to DIAG Immobilien, a family-led real estate company from Dortmund. The part now available for rent comprises an area of around 5,000 m2 on two upper floors as well as a front section bordering the passageway and a foyer on the first floor. The university has signed a 25-year lease, starting from the date of completion. This long-term obligation makes the reconstruction work worthwhile that is needed on the inside and which Gerber Architekten are expected to supervise up until Fall 2026. Among other things, there will be around 350 study spaces for students, two multi-purpose seminar rooms, a lecture theater, and a concert and event hall. There will also be space for pupil workshops and citizen labs. Compared to a new building, leasing Hansa Carré is not only cost-efficient for the university but also – thanks to its central location – offers major qualitative advantages in terms of visibility, accessibility – and plenty of eateries nearby.

Comments on the project

At the official signing of the lease at the Westphalian Industry Club, Martin and Erich Dreier, the managing directors of DIAG Immobilien, said: “City centers are undergoing a transformation. Our aim is to actively support this process with a multi-purpose building. We are delighted to have found a reliable partner for this vision in the shape of TU Dortmund University.”

“Its new location in the heart of the city center is a huge gain for both TU Dortmund University and the people of Dortmund. It is literally a window on TU Dortmund University’s close ties with urban society. An accessible contact point in the city makes studying in Dortmund even more attractive.”

Thomas Westphal, Lord Mayor of the City of Dortmund, is also delighted at the prospect: “We need fresh concepts that revitalize the city. The TU Dortmund University project is an example of how city real estate can be used to complement retail.”

Enhancing the appeal for students

Through the university floor at the Dortmunder U Center for Arts and Creativity, TU Dortmund University has already been present in the city center since the Ruhr region was European Capital of Culture in 2010 (RUHR.2010). In January 2024, it made study spaces available on a transitional basis in the former Telekom building on Westenhellweg for the first time, which are in consistently high demand among the university’s 30,000 students and frequently used to full capacity. As the demographic trend will lead to a decline in the number of prospective students over the next ten years, the university wants to enhance its appeal for students and in this context is also basing its recruitment strategy on inner-city offers. The Rectorate, University Council and Senate are all emphatically in favor of this project.

 

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