For a total of 7.8 million euros, the Applied Biosciences ( Department of Hospital and Medical Technology, Environmental and Biotechnology) will receive new laboratories and offices in Giessen 's Gutfleischstrasse.
The old premises of the Institute for Biopharmaceutical Technology on Bismarckstrasse were severely damaged by a water leak at the end of June. Research and development projects had to be halted, and the course offerings for the winter semester were jeopardized. According to FH President Prof. Dr. Günther Grabatin, temporary solutions have since been found. Since renovating the old, single-story building is not an option, a new building is urgently needed to ensure the smooth operation of teaching and research. The state of Hesse quickly pledged the necessary funding. Grabatin described it as a "prime example of swift and unbureaucratic assistance.".
The university of applied sciences acquired the building site from Deutsche Telekom in 2002. A former industrial building at the corner of Gutfleischstraße and Ringallee is being renovated for 1.5 million euros. Offices, seminar rooms, and lecture halls are being created here on a main usable area of 800 square meters.
To the north, a new steel-frame building is planned, which will house offices and laboratories. The four-story building, with a main usable area of nearly 1,000 square meters, will be constructed using a time-saving modular system. Despite a complex EU-wide tendering process, the new facilities for the life sciences are scheduled for completion in June 2007. First, companies must be found that are capable of constructing laboratories, where biosafety level 1 genetic engineering experiments will be conducted, according to the required specifications. A supplier must then be selected from among these, with the contract expected to be awarded in January 2007.
The building components will be prefabricated in three months. Assembly will take place on the construction site between mid-April and mid-June. The new facilities will then be available for teaching in the winter semester of 2007/2008. "The Institute of Biopharmaceutical Technology," said President Grabatin, "will be able to continue its research activities under significantly improved conditions in the foreseeable future thanks to the new building."