Baustelle Hitachi Columbus Campus Holz-Hybrid-Bauweise

On May 13th 2025 we the IACES Karlsruhe student group visited the construction site of the new Hitachi Campus in Mannheim. The visit was made possible by Köster GmbH who gave us insights into the ongoing project and their company.

The main focus was on the timber construction of the building. This method offers ecological benefits but also comes with planning and practical challenges. The goal is to complete the campus in a short time with a CO₂-neutral approach. A DGNB Platinum certification is also planned.

On site we learned about technical solutions for fire and sound protection. It became clear that some standards for timber construction are still incomplete so custom solutions and special approvals are sometimes needed. We also saw that real-life construction doesn't always match what we learn at university.

Afterwards Köster GmbH presented itself as a full-service construction company. They gave us an overview of their work in building construction civil engineering and office-based project management including tools like shopfloor management.

We thank Köster GmbH for the warm welcome and the opportunity to visit the site.