AWI Technical Centre: The Shell is Complete

Virtual topping-out ceremony marks a new milestone for the new building, named in honour of Rasmus Willumsen

AWI Technical Centre: virtual topping-out ceremony (Photo: Alfred-Wegener-Institut / Joachim Hofmann (eventfive))

Roughly two years after the groundbreaking ceremony on 18 April 2019, the shell for the AWI Technical Centre in the Klußmannstraße, Bremerhaven is now complete. Since the ongoing pandemic made a live topping-out ceremony impossible, the Alfred Wegener Institute marked the milestone for the new building with a video topping-out speech and greetings from prominent members of the political and research communities. The next planned steps, beyond interior work on the offices and conference rooms, especially include the construction of workshops and laboratories, which will equip the Rasmus Willumsen House, named in honour of Alfred Wegener’s companion, to serve as a core site for the development of innovative maritime and polar technologies. The building is scheduled to open its doors in the summer of 2022.

Statements on the virtual topping-out ceremony:

Dr Michael Meister, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF): “With the Federal Ministry of Education and Research’s sustainability strategy FONA we want to help meet the climate targets that have been set. Our seas and oceans, and especially the polar regions, are of central importance in the global climate system. Accordingly, we need to fully understand the impacts of these ‘climate machines’. Our goal is to provide the information needed for effective climate policy. The AWI, the German competence centre for polar research, undertakes pioneering research expeditions like the MOSAiC expedition. With the addition of the Technical Centre, the AWI will now be able to centrally implement and pursue expedition logistics and technological development in Bremerhaven.”

[Translate to English:] AWI Technikum — AWI Technikum (Photo: Alfred-Wegener-Institut / Esther Horvath)

Dr Claudia Schilling, Senator for Science and Ports, Bremen: “The Technical Centre will provide everything that top-notch marine research needs to prepare expeditions. Soon, international tech and engineering experts will be able to work hand in hand with researchers from various disciplines to develop and test integrated concepts for innovative, tech-based solutions in marine and polar research. As such, the Technical Centre, as a piece of cutting-edge research infrastructure, will not only make a substantial contribution to enhancing the AWI’s profile, but also further boost the innovativeness and prominence of marine and climate research in Bremen.”

Melf Grantz, Lord Mayor of Bremerhaven: “This new AWI building, here at this spot on the main channel, is not only a clear architectural sign, but also a signal for urban development. It shows that, in our city, the Alfred Wegener Institute has found a new and future-ready location. The building lies at the centre of the shipyard quarter, which, now under development, will become a new district for living, working and conducting research, and one with a high recreational value in a one-of-a-kind maritime atmosphere. The new quarter will be home to a new research campus, which will begin with the construction of the Technical Centre, and continue with the complete overhaul of the former administrative buildings of the companies ‘Nordsee’ and ‘Deutsche See’. There is also ample space here, paving the way for the future development of the campus, at the heart of which lies the AWI’s building.”

[Translate to English:] Tauchbecken AWI Technikum Innenansicht — Interior view: diving tank (Photo: Alfred-Wegener-Institut / Gerd Rohardt)

Prof. Dr Antje Boetius, Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI): “We’re very much looking forward to this new centre for developers and inventors, which is increasingly taking shape. Technological innovations are essential to good research. Important tools for the future include robotics, sensor systems and their digital components. Especially in the extreme regions of the Antarctic and Arctic, we depend on them. With the aid of testing labs like the diving tanks and ice-core drill facility, we’ll be able to ensure our technologies are ready for use on expeditions. Moreover, the Rasmus Willumsen House will be a meeting place for those engaged in research, engineering and development, since the best ideas are often the result of close collaboration.”

Dr Karsten Wurr, Administrative Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI): “We’re very grateful to the BMBF and the Federal State of Bremen for funding the pioneering project ‘AWI Technical Centre’ with around 17 million euros. We’re also grateful to the City of Bremerhaven for involving us in the planning for the adjacent shipyard quarter and giving us the opportunity to share in its development. The new building will accommodate roughly 40 employees, and some of the AWI’s staff are already using the administrative buildings next to the Technical Centre. In the future, Climate Sciences, one of our three Research Divisions, will have a joint campus here. Thanks to large windows on the ground floor, passers-by will be able to see what the researchers are working on; conceived as an ‘open workshop’, the goal is to foster networking, hopefully throughout the city.”