When the new Campus WU celebrated its grand opening five years ago, on October 4, 2013, one of the goals was to make it accessible to all and to fill it with life. That has been a success: Today, Campus WU provides excellent working conditions for students, faculty, and staff, and is very popular both with fans of modern architecture and as an event venue.
Scientific communities come together on campus for conferences and academic meetings. Public lectures and discussion Groups forge connections between WU researchers, businesspeople, policy makers, and members of the public. In summer, families, local residents, and passers-by enjoy the free spaces between the buildings and the on-campus restaurants. And at the WU Summer Celebration in June, thousands of visitors join us to celebrate the end of the academic year.
Responsible Campus Management
Economic, ecological, and social sustainability were top priority goals in the construction of our campus. In recent years, campus management has successfully mastered the challenge of putting the campus into operation and making sure that everything continues to run smoothly. Ongoing improvements have also been made which have helped us reduce our resource use.
An EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) and ISO 14001:2015-certified environmental management system has been introduced which allows the ongoing evaluation of resource consumption and shows how water, energy, and material usage can be further reduced. In addition, the environmental management system also includes guidelines on resource-saving, sustainable purchasing.
The WU environmental team was named “EMAS Environmental Team of the Year” for the sustainable management of Campus WU in 2018. Since 1995, the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism has awarded this EMAS prize to companies and organizations that demonstrate exemplary environmental management.
Measures to help optimize operational safety and reliability were also taken in 2018, such as the installation of an emergency power supply system for the TC and LC buildings, combined with the installation of state-of-the-art couplings for the emergency power generators.
Living Sustainably
The topic of sustainability is not only integrated into our academic programs but is also regularly addressed at public events. The 5th WU Sustainability Day on May 16, 2018, for example, organized by the Competence Center for Sustainability and student representatives, featured lectures and workshops on the topic “To have or to be? The future of the consumer society.” A trade fair was held in the LC Forum, where visitors could learn about sustainable initiatives, start-ups, and do-it-yourself applications.