j. mayer h. expands FOM university’s düsseldorf campus with amorphous concrete pavilion

five years after the new university building was completed, this pavilion is the final component of the ensemble.

lea zeitoun June 26, 2023 3 min

first look at the FOM university pavilion by j. mayer h.

FOM University adds a new social space to its 8,000 square meters Düsseldorf Campus in Germany — an amorphous concrete pavilion that seemingly blends with the surrounding landscaped site. Berlin-based architecture studio J. Mayer H. was invited to lead the building design amid the FOM Hochschulzentrum campus located in Quartier Central, a vital urban neighborhood. Five years after the new university building was completed, this concrete pavilion unfolds as the final component of the ensemble. Using a similar formal language, the approximately 100 square meter volume snuggles into the outer branches of the Stadtpark and closes off the landscaped area crossed by the renatured Duessel River.

j. mayer h. expands FOM university's düsseldorf campus with amorphous concrete pavilion - 1 — all images © David Franck, courtesy J. Mayer H.

amorphous concrete volume weaving into its landscaped site

J. Mayer H. (see more here) joined forces with the teams at Starmans Architeturbüro and GAARKO Gablik Architektur, freelance architect Sebastian Finckh, Thomas & Boekamp Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH and Brockof Ingenieure to complete the FOM University pavilion at the Duesseldorf Campus. Together, the architectural and engineering groups shaped a sculptural concrete volume defined by fluid forms that seemingly twist around a central glazed rectangle where the pavilion’s main spaces are housed and its daily programs take place.

j. mayer h. expands FOM university's düsseldorf campus with amorphous concrete pavilion - 2 — FOM University Pavilion at Düsseldorf campus

Complementing the project’s team is the landscape architecture studio Lützow 7, invited to create an amorphous set of green plots that interweave the various levels of access to the university building and a soft soil sculpture covering the underground garage (access to the FOM University pavilion is only possible from there or by foot from the park mall). Ultimately, the outdoor landscape’s free-form aesthetic resounds across the concrete volume’s organic lines and strokes. As an expansion of the university building, the pavilion provides seminar and lecture spaces, lounges, and spaces for breaks.

j. mayer h. expands FOM university's düsseldorf campus with amorphous concrete pavilion - 3 — an amorphous shape responding to its context

j. mayer h. expands FOM university's düsseldorf campus with amorphous concrete pavilion - 4

j. mayer h. expands FOM university's düsseldorf campus with amorphous concrete pavilion - 5 — J. Mayer H. built the approx. 100 sqm building as a final component of the campus ensemble

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j. mayer h. expands FOM university's düsseldorf campus with amorphous concrete pavilion - 6

j. mayer h. expands FOM university's düsseldorf campus with amorphous concrete pavilion - 7 — side view of the FOM Pavilion

j. mayer h. expands FOM university's düsseldorf campus with amorphous concrete pavilion - 8 — framing views of the landscaped plots

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j. mayer h. expands FOM university's düsseldorf campus with amorphous concrete pavilion - 9 — where nature and concrete meet

j. mayer h. expands FOM university's düsseldorf campus with amorphous concrete pavilion - 10 — FOM University building completed five years ago

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project info:

name: FOM University Pavilion | @fomhochschule

location: Düsseldorf, Germany

architecture: J. Mayer H. | @j.mayer.h

client: Gemeinnützige Fördergesellschaft für Bildung und Wissenschaft mbH

partners in charge: Jürgen Mayer H., Hans Schneider

freelance architect / project lead: Sebastian Finckh

project team: Ana I. Alonso, Max Magorskyi, Mehrdad Mashaie

architects on site: Starmans Architeturbüro, GAARKO Gablik Architektur

landscape architecture: Lützow 7

structural engineering: Thomas & Boekamp Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH

building services: Brockof Ingenieure

fire protection: IDN Brandschutz GmbH

photography: David Franck
gross floor area: 100 sqm

completion year: 2023