Over the next five years, extensive construction and renovation work will be carried out on both the north and south wings of the DIfE main building at Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116 in Nuthetal. The parts of the building constructed in the 1960s as supplementary buildings for research have not been renovated for decades, have hardly been repaired and do not meet current occupational safety and fire protection requirements.
The refurbishment will create modern and barrier-free laboratory and office space as well as social and communication areas in existing buildings that meet today's technical requirements and user demands. Another aim of the structural and technical refurbishment is the construction of a new energy center for the heating and cooling supply of the property, which will include a combination of heat pumps, ice storage, energy storage as well as photovoltaics and aims to be largely CO2-neutral. “The new energy center will replace our 30-year-old gas boiler system, put our institute at the forefront of technology and take us a big step closer to climate neutrality in line with the German government's climate targets,” says Dr. Birgit Schröder-Smeibidl, Administrative Director at DIfE.
The concrete concept for the “Site E refurbishment” construction project, which has now received 19.1 million euros in funding from the MWFK and BMBF, was preceded by a feasibility study in 2019, which was followed by numerous planning and coordination meetings as well as the award procedures for the architect and the various specialist planners. A regional project planner, Architekturbüro Habermann from Finsterwalde, and a partner with outstanding expertise in technical building equipment, Planungsgruppe M+M AG from Böblingen, were chosen.
“With the completion of the new building in 2021 and the pledge of funding for the renovation, the DIfE has received a total of 39 million euros in funding for construction measures. Both are milestones for the future of our campus and the long-term strategy of DIfE. Now we are waiting for the building permit and then we can finally get started,” says a pleased Schröder-Smeibidl.
The renovation of the two parts of the building is expected to begin in fall 2024 and will take place in two construction phases. The institute will provide information about this on its website.