New Lecture Hall Complex Named: C.A.R.L.
"C.A.R.L. – Central Auditorium for Research and Learning” is the name of the new lecture hall complex on Claßenstraße. Albert Wendt, a doctoral student at the RWTH Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production, AZL for short, submitted the winning name to the jury.
Aloys Krieg, Vice-Rector of Teaching and AStA Chair Raphael Kiesel handed out the grand prize, an iPad Air 2, during RWTHtransparent. "The lecture hall complex is one of the largest and most modern of its kind in Europe. The name should reflect that. Being in Aachen, Charlemagne quickly came to mind and the name developed from that," says Wendt.
In December 2014, the RWTH AStA issued a call to all students to submit proposals for naming the complex. Around 2,000 people submitted ideas. "The lecture hall complex is there for students. We wanted them to identify with the name," emphasized Krieg.
Space for over 4,000 Students
C.A.R.L. can offer space for over 4,000 students. With approximately 14,000 square meters, it offers room for eleven lecture halls, 16 seminar rooms, a break room with a café, as well as space for the physics collection, storate, and work spaces. Four trussed girders with a total length of 56 meters stretch across the entire building. They support not only the roof of the two biggest lecture halls but also the seminar rooms on the second floor and the ventilation and air condition ducts.
The two largest lecture halls contain 1,000 and 800 seats in the new building, located at the meeting point of Central Campus and Campus West. The Danish office schmidt hammer lassen architects in Aarhus, is responsible for the architectural design. As principal, the NRW Construction and Real Estate Agency or BLB NRW is investing roughly 45 million Euros from the state's University Modernization Program into the multilevel building.