During a visit to the university campus in Landshut, the Bavarian Minister of Science and Art, Markus Blume, announced an architecture degree program. This is intended to add a key component to the local civil engineering course. For this purpose, the State Ministry of Science and Art is providing the Landshut University of Applied Sciences with eight staff positions as well as 6.3 million euros in material and investment funds for the necessary laboratory and practice rooms.
Science and Art Minister Markus Blume said: "We are setting up the first architecture course in Lower Bavaria here. Architecture will be closely linked with civil engineering and established as an interdisciplinary subject of the future at the university. In this way, we are laying a foundation for the construction industry in Lower Bavaria, which is strongly characterized by small and medium-sized enterprises, and are meeting the local demand for skilled workers. That is why we are investing: Eight additional positions and 6.3 million euros have been earmarked for the next budget. In this way, we are continuing our science offensive in Lower Bavaria. Whether it's the medical campus or the many technology transfer centers: In this legislative period, we have invested more here than ever before."
Great commitment from university partner Helmut Radlmeier
"We owe a great debt of gratitude to Minister of State Markus Blume and MdL Helmut Radlmeier," shared a satisfied Vice President Prof. Dr. Marcus Jautze. He continued: "I am convinced that not only we as a university will develop even further positively through this upcoming architecture course. It will also bring a good impact on our city and the surrounding region. The study program fits perfectly with our strategic orientation, in which we are constantly developing our three main pillars of Landshut University of Applied Sciences ,Technology, Business and Social Affairs'. We see 'Sustainability, Health and Media' as new thematic and growth areas. Particularly in the area of sustainability, we see a connecting point here for the architecture degree program."
The initiation of the new degree program is essentially linked to the commitment of Helmut Radlmeier, a member of the Landshut state parliament. Radlmeier had announced his commitment to the study program at the Landshut location after participating in a round of discussions with representatives from the university, business and the city of Landshut a few weeks ago. A matter of course for the member of the Committee for Science and the Arts in the Bavarian State Parliament: "I have been enthusiastic about the idea from the very beginning. I am very happy that we were successful. I would like to thank all my fellow campaigners for their great commitment and State Minister Markus Blume for his strong support. This is another milestone for Landshut University of Applied Sciences, the Landshut region and for Lower Bavaria."
The right study location for a city full of architectural treasures
The bachelor's degree program in architecture will not simply follow on from the existing degree program in civil engineering, but is aimed above all at the craft skills and diverse building fabric available in Landshut and its region. On the one hand, there are numerous institutions in the field of construction that lend themselves to the integration of know-how through cooperation: be it the Landshut Construction School, the Landshut Building Guild House, the Landshut Ceramics School or the Architecture and Art Association. On the other hand, Landshut is not known for nothing for its numerous historic buildings, which fit the aspect of sustainable building and construction. The topics of building in existing contexts and building renovation already play an important role in the civil engineering course of study.
Nevertheless, a good connectivity to the civil engineering course cannot be denied and should also be used. The Landshut university management sees in this a good "connection of the technical civil engineering with the formative character of the architecture course of studies", as vice-president Jautze expressed it on the press conference. The Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Prof. Dr. Christian Koletzko, added that focus topics such as sustainability and digitalization could be implemented in the future architecture degree program. For example, the energetic optimization of old buildings or the application possibilities of sustainable materials, which have a tradition in Lower Bavaria, can be mentioned here. The historic buildings that have been anchored in the cityscape for centuries bear witness to the inclusion of ceramics and bricks - two sustainable building materials. The practice-oriented teaching is also to be implemented by incorporating digital design methods of urban planning, structural engineering and landscape planning. Interdisciplinary work on the campus of the Landshut University of Applied Sciences will also be further promoted by the new course of study.
Simultaneous shortage of skilled workers and need for housing
The need for young professionals in the region is high. Currently, the region of Lower Bavaria, and in particular the city of Landshut, is facing a wide variety of challenges in the construction sector. Among other things, the shortage of skilled workers is making itself strongly felt in the construction industry. Numerous architectural firms in the city of Landshut alone are complaining about a lack of suitable young talent. The new architecture degree program can counteract this and make a decisive contribution. Based on the fact that approximately 1,500 architects and urban planners are currently active in Lower Bavaria, approximately 40 trained architects are needed in the region each year to fill the positions that become vacant due to the retirement of self-employed persons. If one adds the numerous other fields of activity of future graduates in private and municipal administrations, companies and institutions, the annual demand figures are in the triple digits.
Due to the high quality of living, working and living conditions, Landshut has shown a positive population development for years. The forecasts of the Bavarian State Office for Statistics calculate a further growth of 10.1% until 2039. This results in enormous housing pressure and a concomitant need for housing, educational and supply facilities and commercial space.
Handover of the degree program by means of a symbolic 3D print model
The ministry had come up with something special for the symbolic handover of the architecture degree program to the representatives of the university. With a handy 3D print of Landshut's landmark and architectural masterpiece, St. Martin's Church, Minister of State Blume presented Vice President Jautze with a model that stands for the connection of the digital present with Landshut's historic architecture and thus represents the new architecture degree program at Landshut University of Applied Sciences.
Photos: Landshut University of Applied Sciences
(free to use if source is acknowledged)
