WU, originally founded in 1898, is the largest university for business/economics in Europe and is ranked as one of the best business schools in Europe.  After the Second World War, it’s reputation was such that most Austrian business executives and many politicians were alumni.  From 1966 the number of students increased dramatically and, in 1983, moved to another campus, which itself soon became too small for the growth in student numbers and a complete new campus has now been created, opening in October 2013 for a target number of 24,000 students.  Its arrival next to the exhibition centre of Vienna has acted as a catalyst for the regeneration of the area around it with new housing, including student residences.

“Internationalism, innovation, diversity – the new Campus WU is the concrete realization of WU’s vision for a modern university. The fundamental principles of the new architecture reflect the values and ideas we cherish at WU.

As a public institution, WU has lived up to its responsibility of building its new campus in an economical, ecological, and socially sustainable manner. WU’s decision to locate the new campus in Vienna’s second district will redefine this area and transform it into an educational hub. We have not only constructed new buildings, but in the process we have also given concrete realization to our ideas of what the university of the future should look like. The new campus is more than just a place for academic research and teaching and learning practical skills; it is also designed to create a new space for social, cultural, and political life.”  (WU website)

The 25 acre (10 ha) campus has 6 groups of buildings designed around a master plan devised by BUSarchitektur and the architect Laura P. Spinadel.  The individual buildings were commissioned by international competition won by architectural firms from Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Austria.  The campus cost 492 million Euros and was completed in three years, an astonishing achievement.

At the heart is the futuristic 28,000 sq metres Library & Learning Centre designed by Zaha Hadid. The LLC comprised of five cores, each with a different geometry.  Walls and staircases are inclined at different angles to create a variety of spaces which WU has yet to capitalise on.  Visitors enter the building into the immense atrium which also serves as WU’s main reception area and a conference/commemoration space. Inside LCC is Student Services, IT Services, the International Office and the central library for the campus.

The building is however currently surrounded by protective hoardings after a piece of concrete cladding estimated to weigh 80 kilograms fell off earlier in the year.  Parts of the adjacent pedestrian street and the space beneath the cantilevered upper levels has been closed off.

One of the joys of the LLC is the café, which is a great space to eat, drink and study and spreads out to the adjacent terrace.  The food is fresh and, compared to London, good value for money.

Taking a lesson from the problems with the LLC and given the scale of business investment in new buildings, why do business schools not do more to teach about the briefing, commissioning and execution of new buildings to support their business objectives.

One of the most ambitious recent projects is the new University of Economics and Business (Wirtschaftsuniversitst Wien) in Vienna’s Second District, which opened last year and was described as “one of the largest university building sites in the world” at the time.  Designed for an over 24,000 students and 1800 staff, with an emphasis on natural light and sustainability. it comprises seven buildings planned around the new University and Learning Centre designed by Zaha Hadid.  As is common in Austria, the architects for the different buildings were selected through international design competitions and also include Crab Studio who designed the Administration and Law Building, BUS architektur who were responsible for the Teaching Centre and Auditorium Buildings and Estudio Carme Pinos who designed the Departmental Building.

The new university library building provides 28,000sq m of space including library and learning facilities, academic services and social areas, designed as two “ribbons” of rooms around a central “canyon” of open space.

Externally, the non-public areas of the building including classrooms, an auditorium, workspaces and office are housed at the lower area 0f flowing white horizontal lines while a large black box cantilevered over a new public square at the main entrance contains the main library, function rooms and a café, reached through the dramatic central space.

The public circulation areas of the Library look stunning, but generous and a little sterile for a community of scholars in a university. Perhaps as the universitybecomes used to using the building it will add some colour and individuality to enliven it.

Photographs by Günther Bogensberger

The photographs are by the Hong Kong photographer Edmon Leong and first published in Deezeen Magazine.  For a university building and one focused on creativity, the interiors appear stark in white and shades of grey and too controlled.  Hopefully once the students become used to the building, they will soften it and add some colour and further layers of creativity, but without compromising the essence of Hadid’s design.

Photographs courtesy of ZHA.

Although a fan of Zahid’s imaginative designs, I wonder if they will last 200 years or so into the future, like the much simpler bull-ring in Ronda?