Science Campus in Nuremberg
Technical Backbone and Research Building for Germany's First AI University
In the anniversary year of the Nuremberg Technical University (UTN), the groundbreaking ceremony for five campus buildings took place in May. We have been entrusted with the planning of the logistics center and power plant, the founding building 3, as well as with the BIM overall coordination for both measures.
Supply and Logistics for the Entire Campus
On behalf of the Free State of Bavaria (representing the State Building Authority Erlangen Nuremberg), a logistics center and energy center are being built on the site of a former freight yard in the new district of Lichtenreuth. The energy center feeds the campus networks for heat, cold, water, and electrical engineering – already dimensioned for final expansion, with modular expandability. The energy concept relies on heat pumps with photovoltaic electricity; waste heat from refrigeration is returned via a heat storage system.
It is always a special experience when, as a planner, you get to work on a project that fundamentally changes a city. This state-of-the-art campus will reinvent the south of Nuremberg.
Andreas Rieser
Engineer, Managing Director in Nuremberg
A Building for the Science of Tomorrow
The founding building 3 is the last building of the first expansion phase. Cleanroom facilities, optical laboratories, and highly installed research areas with strict requirements for vibration, temperature stability, and electromagnetic stability are concentrated in the basement; the upper floors house additional laboratories as well as open learning and communication zones.
BIM Coordination
Uniform OpenBIM standards ensure a consistent as-built model of all planners involved – including all technical and infrastructural facilities.
For a campus of this magnitude, involving multiple design offices and disciplines, digital coordination is not just a service – it is a prerequisite for quality. Our aim is a seamless as-built model that endures beyond construction.
Christina Rapp
Architect and Lead Project Manager at ATP in Nuremberg
Significance for the Republic
On May 22, 2026, in the anniversary year of the UTN, the groundbreaking ceremony took place for five founding buildings – from the winter semester 2029/2030, the campus is set to become the first AI university in Germany and, upon completion, will accommodate up to 6,000 students and around 2,000 employees – a new city district that connects science, research, and urban life.
“Those who think about tomorrow shape the future for future generations. The UTN is a real project for the future – the first foundation of a university in the Free State since 1978. It stands for the university of tomorrow.”
Dr. Markus Söder
Minister President of the Free State of Bavaria
