We are pleased to have won first place and the contract for the new LAZ (learning and application center) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). To live up to its standard as a renowned institution, and to be able to assert itself alongside the striking mechanical engineering high-rise, the new building confidently manifests a formal austerity towards the urban space. Both the constructional and the functional logic becomes evident in the façade which demonstrates the open character of the building. The glass surfaces allow a view into the interior and reveal the design work, the workshops and the informal student life. This way KIT presents the university’s technical and contemporary project-oriented focus to the public.