The new lab building "RIZ " in Offenburg wins a Hugo-Häring award of the German BDA. The Jury's assessment:"RIZ is the first building for the new campus of the Offenburg University of Applied Sciences. The architecture and the urban design of the four-storey building convinced the jury through its clear geometry and finely structured façade. Approaching from the pedestrian subway of the existing campus area, the only recess in the building volume naturally invites visitors to enter a well-dimensioned foyer, which reveals the inner structure of the building on the first glance and generously opens the view to the large hall of the technical centre. A judicious, sturdy timber construction made of local beech spans this 10m tall central space, which greatly contributes to the overall effect of the hall’s appearance. Organized across three floors on the entrance side, the office and research wing, with its varied, multipurpose space, fulfills the users' needs and desires for community, communication and teamwork. Quiet zones, meeting points, two-storey tall voids as well as different lines of sight to the technical centre complement and enrich the well-lit and valuable work areas. (...)
The new university building is an outstanding work of architecture, and it is to be hoped that it will have neighbours of an equally high design quality, coherence and verve in the future."