Old canteen in new splendour and new functionality - inauguration in Cottbus

The structural substance, all technical annexes, technical equipment and Fire Protection were brought up to date by the Brandenburg State Office for Real Estate and Construction (BLB). As it was not possible to renovate the building during ongoing operations, an additional interim building was erected to ensure that students could eat during the construction work. The state covered the construction costs totalling around 45.5 million euros.

Tobias Dünow, State Secretary in the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg (MWFK): "BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg is characterised by strong teaching and excellent research, by its innovative spirit and future potential, and by its state-of-the-art learning and working facilities. But campus life is nothing without a place where you can recharge your batteries. A place like the cafeteria, in whose climate-friendly refurbishment the state has invested around 45 million euros. A big thank you to everyone involved, from BTU and BLB to planning offices and tradesmen! Studierendenwerk Ost:Brandenburg plays a key role because it ensures that a building becomes a social space. Many thanks to Managing Director Dorit Wehling and her team! With this in mind: Let's try out what the future tastes like in the new canteen!"

Frank Stolper, State Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior and Municipal Affairs of the State of Brandenburg (MIK): "The project had various facets. Firstly, a new building had to be constructed and fully equipped so that the supply on campus would not be interrupted. Then the old canteen building was restructured, extensively renovated and partially extended. Finally, the move from the interim building to the new cafeteria had to be coordinated. Today we have reached an important milestone. The SU is now continuing with the demolition of the interim building. I would like to sincerely thank my colleagues from the SU for what they have achieved so far."

Prof. Dr Gesine Grande, President of BTU: "We are very pleased to now be able to use our old canteen building in a new design for a variety of purposes. The new room layout follows the principle of short distances and inclusion. Examples of this include the new separate children's play area in the dining hall and the new internal lift for barrier-free access to the dining hall. In the interests of sustainability, the existing substance of our old canteen has been retained and utilised as far as possible. For all members of the university, this is a familiar place that needs to be explored anew and filled with life. We are looking forward to it."

Dorit Wehling, Managing Director of Studierendenwerk Ost:Brandenburg: " Up to 2,000 meals a day, 530 seats and an additional 84 seats on the terrace clearly show the scale of the construction project and the efficiency of our canteen. Following the refurbishment, we will have state-of-the-art working conditions. At the centre is the open-plan production kitchen, which opens up to the free-flow serving area. A break room and a new changing area are located behind the production kitchen. Other work areas such as the refrigerated and deep-freeze storage areas and the pot sink are also located directly behind the serving area, ensuring short distances and the best working conditions for my colleagues."

It took five years to construct the interim building, refurbish the old canteen building and add extensions to the existing building. The consequences of the coronavirus crisis and the war of aggression against Ukraine led to delays during the construction process. There were supply bottlenecks, material shortages and increases in the price of building materials. Additional dismantling measures were necessary for the core refurbishment of the canteen, which only became visible when the building was gutted. In particular, all old pipes, foundation fragments and ducts had to be removed for new foundation underpinnings and underground pipes. The building regulations for waste disposal also became stricter during the construction phase. Long waste sampling processes prevented the rapid removal of demolition materials from the construction site and also hindered further construction progress.

In future, the new campus canteen will offer up to 2,000 hot meals a day, ensuring a high-quality, student-centred lunch service. In addition to innovative menus with vegan options and international accents, a varied range of fresh pasta from the café's own production, pizza, burgers, coffee specialities and sweet snacks complete the profile. Attractive meeting spaces have been created both in the café on the ground floor and in the campus canteen on the upper floor, where students can now eat, work and socialise together. An attractively designed children's room, high chairs for the youngest guests, modern multifunctional cooking technology for improved working conditions as well as comfortable seating and a terrace with coloured roof slats that can be opened in warm weather further enhance the quality of the space. The team mastered the long transition period with a great deal of patience and commitment - now they are starting the new era full of vigour.

About the BLB

The Brandenburg State Office for Real Estate and Construction (BLB) is part of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government. The state of Brandenburg is the largest property developer in Brandenburg. BLB is responsible for construction, property and portfolio management for the Brandenburg state administration. As the owner, it manages large parts of the state's property assets and is also the landlord. BLB plans and implements state and federal building construction projects (e.g. universities, courts and prisons, police buildings, tax offices and federal defence facilities) as well as other public facilities in the state of Brandenburg. It also organises the vehicle fleet for the general state administration of Brandenburg.

You can find more information about the construction project here:blb.brandenburg.de/blb/de/aufgaben/baumanagement-land/hochschulbau/mensa-zentralcampus-btu-cottbus-senftenberg/