The University of Stuttgart is set on revitalising its architectural heritage. A former student workroom in a late 1970s building at the university’s Vaihingen site at Pfaffenwaldring 47 has been converted into a contemporary learning environment for up to 100 students.

The two-storey Aquarium is an airy space with glazed walls on all sides. Characterised by gallery levels at different heights, it allows for multiple visual and spatial connections inside and out. The redesign builds on the energy of the existing building to create a place with a strong visual identity that provides an agile framework for a variety of student work formats. The result is a flexible work environment that can be used for academic study, group work, workshops, small events – or simply relaxing.

We have positioned a central workshop area at the heart of the space, flanked by stepped seating to enable lectures or smaller events to be held here. The slightly lower lounge, which has an integrated kitchenette, is a place for relaxation and informal chats. Open team workspaces surround this area, offering places for collaboration and communication at classic group tables or large organic community tables. The gallery level, on the other hand, is dedicated to focused study. The workstations face outwards to help you focus or achieve a contemplative state. Alcoves offer additional places to retreat to. The team lab is the only contained room and is designed for meetings or focused collaboration.

In recent years, the site has been dominated by exposed concrete. However, this look only evolved over time; many of the naked concrete surfaces were once coloured. Swedish artist and colour designer Fritz Fuchs originally developed a colour concept for the three lecture halls that extended out into the corridor areas. Completed in 1978, Fuchs’s ‘Colour Space Sound’ concept is now listed and was carefully restored during the redesign process. Restoring the colours alone in keeping with the preservation order has significantly changed the feel of the place. We have remained within this colour spectrum, setting additional fresh accents in the light-flooded atrium using coloured curtains and both fitted and freestanding furniture. The curtains in front of the large windows now shield the room from sunlight. Interior curtains allow for flexible zoning to accommodate various use scenarios. And this zoning is further supported by islands of carpet. All the textiles we used also have a positive effect on the spatial acoustics of the room.

Design: Ippolito Fleitz Group
Design Team: Kerry Anika Plieninger, Markus Schmidt
Photography: Philip Kottlorz