CT² Center for Teaching and Training / slapa oberholz pszczulny | sop architekten

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Text description provided by the architects. Located immediately adjacent to the Universitätsklinikum of RWTH Aachen, it is a highly flexible teaching facility offering multi-functional space and potential for further construction. The seven-storey, stand-alone cube occupies a prominent site on a raised plateau and marks the gateway to the campus, an emblematic solitaire sheathed in a polished metal skin.

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The facade, made of stainless steel mesh, encases the building like a membrane, reducing the wall and strip windows behind it to a single plane. The closed stainless steel envelope contrasts with the transparent glass frontage, open and inviting, suggesting a passageway through to the campus behind in line with the overarching guiding architectural theme. The entrance facades are framed by stylish fair-faced concrete elements.

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Inside the 30m-long cube, an atrium complete with bridges, wide galleries, and spacious open-study zones creates a world of communication and exchange, learning and research. The open-study zones feature small sitting areas fitted with special acoustic materials, mobile stools and electrically operated space dividers for meetings and intensive study.

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During the planning stage, special attention was devoted to the creation of a multi-functional hall and a demo operating theatre equipped with all the latest technology, which would allow students to train in realistic conditions. As a result, the functional rooms are linked via the basement foyer to a large, interconnected event space. The exterior has been designed to allow for the construction of further buildings in the future, with green spaces, parking provision and paved pathways constructed using budget-friendly but visually upmarket techniques and materials.

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