Today's groundbreaking ceremony marked the official start of construction on the expansion of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM in Kaiserslautern. The federal and state governments are investing around € 31 million in this construction project, which will add two new wings to the building.
The construction fence is up, and its length gives an idea of the size of the construction project: With two additional units of the Fraunhofer ITWM, the Fraunhofer Center is growing and closing the gap to the Institut für Oberflächen- und Schichttechnik GmbH IFOS (Institute for Surface and Thin Film Technology) on the »research mile.« Over the next two years, 228 office spaces will be created here on 3,200 m² of floor space.
In his welcoming address, Rhineland-Palatinate Minister of Science Clemens Hoch emphasized the importance of applied mathematics: »With its diverse range of applications, it offers enormous opportunities and potential in the age of digitalization. The two new buildings not only support the growth of Fraunhofer ITWM, but also create urgently needed capacity for additional research activities.« The extension will help to secure the long-term competitiveness of Fraunhofer ITWM and thus strengthen a key partner in advancing Rhineland-Palatinate in key technologies of the future, the minister continued.
Prof. Dr Alexander Müller-Groeling, Director of Research Infrastructures and Digitisation at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, briefly outlined the development of the Kaiserslautern Institute of Mathematics, which has grown considerably in the almost 30 years since it was founded – from a total budget of around two million to over 40 million euros, with economic revenue always accounting for around one third. »The Fraunhofer ITMW is extremely successful and is one of the top 10 institutes in the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in terms of economic revenue.« He particularly emphasised the ecological focus of the new building: »With over 3,000 m² of floor space and 228 office places, great things will be created to advance research in key areas of the sustainability agenda, especially in photovoltaics. The mathematical institute is also planning to install a PV system on the roof of one part of the building as well as a vertical PV system integrated into the shading elements of the windows in the south facade. There will also be PV elements that run vertically in front of the east facade.«
»We are very grateful to the state of Rhineland-Palatinate – and of course to the federal government – for the trust they have placed in our institute by financing this future-oriented new building,« said Prof Dr Anita Schöbel, Director of the Fraunhofer ITWM. She is particularly pleased that all employees will once again be united in one building after its completion: »We will no longer have to rely on rented office space, but will be able to offer all colleagues attractive workplaces under one roof. Energy and sustainability are important topics in our research work, and the energy-optimised design also reflects this focus in the architecture.«
Kaiserslautern's Lord Mayor Beate Kimmel was also delighted with the expansion of the Fraunhofer ITWM: »This extension is not just the growth of an institute building – it is the growth of the future viability of our centre of science. This is not only evident in the construction. Above all, it is reflected in its external appeal. For example, as an active part of the structural change in Kaiserslautern.«
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM
