BOKU campus projects set to cost €166 million

Two projects at Vienna’s University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, known as BOKU, will cost a total of €166 million, ORF reports. They include a new research building focused on circular construction and the renovation of the former Modul building in Döbling.

The new Construction Innovation Lab is designed to demonstrate circular construction both in its research and in the way it is built. Its transparent design will allow visitors to see into a robotics laboratory, while its structure is intended to showcase resource-efficient, reusable construction methods.

A workshop in the building will have what the Federal Real Estate Company says is Vienna’s largest clamping area, where beams up to 20 metres long can be tested. The facility will have about 2,000 square metres of net floor space. Construction is due to start in August 2028, with operations scheduled to begin in 2030.

The former Modul building, once home to the Modul tourism school, will be adapted for BOKU. The university plans to bring several institutes and services together there, linking the building to the campus with a “Campus Walk.” Plans also include new study, work and event spaces, a café, a local convenience store and a rooftop garden. The existing structure and distinctive appearance are to be preserved as far as possible.

Work on the renovation is scheduled to start in March 2029, with university operations due to begin in 2031. The adapted building will have about 19,000 square metres of net floor space.

The Federal Real Estate Company will own and build the projects. The science ministry will cover €143 million through rent payments and pay the remaining €23 million in one-off costs.