HENN has won the architectural competition for the new Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy at RWTH Aachen university against seven competing offices. "Functionality and safety aspects on the one hand – well-being and focused working on the other" convinced the nine-member jury, chaired by professor Joachim Andreas Joedicke, of HENN's design.

The Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy, the first building block of RWTH Aachen University’s new West Campus location, will provide space for research and teaching in the fields of steel production and processing as well as the application of metallic materials at the German University of Excellence.

HENN's design combines highly diverse functions in a unique typology. Quiet workspaces, seminar rooms, laboratory and research areas with sensitive technical requirements are housed together with application and test areas for robust forging and material testing.

“The complex requirements of this project gave us the opportunity to design a unique building typology as a prelude to the future Campus West: The task was to combine office space for concentrated work with test halls and workshops, where there is a high noise level due to furnaces and material tests with large machines. For this purpose, we designed a compact and sustainable building consisting of two different constructive systems, which are nevertheless connected by superordinate façade structure to form a common whole."

— Joachim Grund, Partner in charge, HENN

"The use of environmentally friendly materials, the flexibility of the spaces for future adaptations and the emphasis on energy efficiency are aspects that convinced us at BLB NRW."

— Gabriele Willems, CEO, BLB NRW

"The architectural design of the new building creates functional and modern spaces that offer ideal conditions for research and teaching in ferrous metallurgy. The new building invites students, employees and anyone interested to get to know iron, steel and materials science in Aachen."

— Prof. Dr. Ulrich Krupp, Chair of Materials Engineering of Metals and Department of Ferrous Metallurgy