Teaching Collection of Historic Automobiles

  • Location: Zwickau
  • Client: West Saxon University of Applied Sciences of Zwickau
  • Realisation: 2007 – 2008

Automobiles have been manufactured in Zwickau for more than 100 years. HORCH and AUDI started here, the Trabant was built in Zwickau when it was part of East Germany and today VW produces its Golf and Passat automobiles here. Since the mid-1930s the Ingenieurschule Zwickau (Zwickau School of Engineering) has been educating the upcoming generations of automotive engineers that are required in the production facilities. This tradition continues today at the Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau (West Saxon University of Applied Sciences of Zwickau) with its Kraftfahrzeugtechnik (Automotive Engineering) study programme.

The institutes and educational establishments for the education of approximately 150 to 170 automotive engineers per year are located on the Scheffelberg Campus of Westsächsische Hochschule (West Saxon University), a few kilometres away from Zwickau’s city centre. Originally built as a mining school in the 1950s, the location was expanded into an extensive university campus in the later years of East Germany and after the reunification of Germany.

This snapshot was taken by Benedikt in Brasília in 1997 while visiting the ‘Memorial JK’…
This snapshot was taken by Benedikt in Brasília in 1997 while visiting the ‘Memorial JK’ by Oscar Niemeyer. The small pavilion in the parking lot of the mausoleum houses the Ford Galaxie 500, the favourite automobile of the legendary Brazilian President Juscelino Kubitschek (1902–76). Schulz und Schulz remembered this motif when they were working on the competition task in Zwickau.
In 2011 Ansgar and Benedikt travelled to Brazil to visit the inspiring reference structure once…
In 2011 Ansgar and Benedikt travelled to Brazil to visit the inspiring reference structure once again.
The glass facade for the campus plaza can be opened using sliding doors to connect…
The glass facade for the campus plaza can be opened using sliding doors to connect the collection and outdoor area with one another for events, for instance.
The central design idea is the typology of a teaching collection where the exhibits are…
The central design idea is the typology of a teaching collection where the exhibits are kept in display cases and showcases. The unusual feature of this teaching collection is its type of exhibits: historic automobiles. The building is located in the central campus area of the University of Applied Sciences like a showcase. The exhibits are in a protected framework whose long sides of glass panes provide views into the collection and place the automobiles within the context of their surroundings. The surrounding framework consists of a single-shell concrete construction that is coated gleaming white on the outside as a reference to auto bodies. The interior is lined with interior insulation in a matte red colour in reference to the classic interior of old-time automobiles.
The inspiration for the FORUM MOBILE lettering, found on a restaurant in Barcelona.
The inspiration for the FORUM MOBILE lettering, found on a restaurant in Barcelona.
In order to determine the right size for the FORUM MOBILE lettering, some employees travelled…
In order to determine the right size for the FORUM MOBILE lettering, some employees travelled to Zwickau to place letter templates they had cut themselves in front of the parapet. This initial version proved to be too small.
A student working group has been working on the development of a collection of historic…
A student working group has been working on the development of a collection of historic automobiles at the Institut für Kraftfahrzeugtechnik (Institute for Automotive Engineering) for some years now. In addition to the collection of historic models and documents, the activities are also focussed on the restoration of historic automobiles with relation to Zwickau as a production site. The historic automobile collection is integrated into the education of the future automotive engineers as a ‘Praktikum Historische Fahrzeuge’ (‘Historic Automobiles Internship’).