Student ideas for the modern concept for the Neuhausen airfield

As part of the presentation, the ten best works will be shown using plans and models. The students will explain their designs and be available to answer questions. Some of the results of the students' considerations will be used for the structural implementation of the modernization project.

The designs were created as part of seminars in the chairs of Structural Design and Building Construction and Design at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU). Two new aircraft hangars were planned for the site. A total of 57 Civil Engineering students and 154 Architecture students participated in this task during the winter semester 2022/2023.

The hangars are to be used for all aircraft. In addition, areas for the training and further education of junior pilots, as well as work areas for administration, parachutists and visitors were to be integrated into the hangar. Civil drone operations, which are expected to take on a new role at the airfield in the coming years, also had to be taken into account.

Torsten Schwieg, Manager of Flugplatzgesellschaft Cottbus/Neuhausen mbH, is pleased with the creativity and quality of the students' work: "The cooperation between BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and our municipality is an excellent example of how fresh ideas from young people, supported by expert guidance during their studies, become constructive, well-thought-out proposals for a modern utilization concept. It's a win-win situation."

Stefanie Paul, seminar leader and academic assistant at the Chair of Structural Design adds: "For our teaching, such opportunities to apply and deepen theoretically imparted knowledge on very practical projects are simply outstanding. We also call the learning concept the Cottbus model and are specifically looking for such opportunities. We are very happy to have found such constructive partners in the municipality of Neuhausen/Spree."

As part of the Lusatian structural development, the project "Upgrading Neuhausen Transport Airfield" is funded by the Lusatian Interministerial Working Group (IMAG) and has been supported since June 2021. In September 2022, the Lusatian representative of the Minister President of the State of Brandenburg, Dr.-Ing. Klaus Freytag, handed over the corresponding funding notice in the amount of 9.6 million euros from the Brandenburg State Government's Structural Strengthening Act for the planning and implementation of the measures.

About the task

The subject of the design work was the development of a column-free cold hall for the flying objects (aircraft hangar) with a minimum floor area of 70 by 25 m. The main supporting structure was to be timber or wood. The main structure was to be designed in wood or steel. The dimensions of the hangar openings (height, width and position in the floor plan) as well as specific requests for the greatest possible incidence of light and photovoltaics on the roof and possibly also on external wall surfaces were expressly requested by the airfield company as design framework conditions and had to be taken into account in the design.

Two construction sites of different sizes were planned, one with 27,000 square meters and the other with 37,500 square meters. The use of sustainable and resource-saving construction methods and regenerative energies was an additional component of the task.

The students of the study programmes Architecture and Civil Engineering in their third semester intensively dealt with the planning, technical and structural aspects of the task for a total of 15 weeks since mid-October 2022 during their design projects under the guidance of the chairs of Prof. M.Sc. Karen Eisenloffel (Structural Design) and Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Karl Plastrotmann (Building Construction & Design). Group work by four students each produced designs that were evaluated as part of the academic performances at the end of the winter semester. Now they will be handed over to the community, specifically to the airfield company Cottbus/Neuhausen mbH.