Life on
Campus WU

3Contents
A Unique Campus 

4Sustainable Architecture 

14

Learning Landscapes 

18

Room for Knowledge 

22Open Spaces 26

Map of Campus WU 

30

A Unique Campus
Campus WU is characterized by its seven distinct building complexes,
designed by renowned international architects. The generously proportioned
open grounds between the individual buildings invite students, faculty, andvisitors to stroll around and relax.

Visitors entering the Campus WU fromthe east entrance find themselves on
the busiest spot on campus. The squareoutside the Teaching Center is a popularmeeting area for teachers and students,
and there’s always people coming andgoing. The wide, inviting seating installations are in high demand.
The Teaching Center and the neighboring
department building D1 were planned by
the Vienna-based architectural agency
BUSarchitektur.

KEY FACTS›› Seven building complexes with
100,000 m2 total floor space›› Lot size: 90,000 m2, 560 m in lengthand between 150 and 210 m wide›› Grounds: 55,000 m²›› Approx. 4,000 rooms, including
90 auditoriums and other classrooms,
seating a total of approx. 5,000›› Approx. 3,000 student workstations,
1,500 of which are located in theCentral Library5

The façade is made of maintenance-free
Corten steel, which will slowly change
color as it weathers over the years.
Entering the Teaching Center, visitors
find themselves in a spacious, light-filledatrium. The entrance to WU’s largest
auditorium, the Audimax, is located here

in the atrium. Areas for individual study
are spaced around the atrium in a spiralpattern. There is also a direct entrance tothe Mensa cafeteria from the atrium. The
cafeteria connects the Teaching Centerwith the department building D1.

BUILDING

KEY FACTS

UNITS

TC/D1:
Teaching Centerand Departments› Architects:
BUSarchitektur ZTGmbH, Vienna› Total floor space:approx. 32,000 m2› Space for approx.
5,000 people› Auditorium Maximum
seats 650

Departments› Global Business and Trade
Research Institutes› Co-Operation and Co-Operatives› Family Businesses› Liberal Professions› Supply Chain Management
Competence Centers› Emerging Markets & CEE› Entrepreneurship CenterAcross from the Teaching Center is thewavy, black-and-white façade of the Student Center/D2 complex designed by
Japanese architect Hitoshi Abe. The twolong, gracefully curved buildings appear
to be constructed of stacked layers ofcontrasting color. The distance between
the units is calculated to allow for a

maximum of natural light in the buildings’
interior. Four departments, two research
institutes, one competence center, theLibrary for Business Languages, theoffices of the WU branch of the Austrian
Students’ Union (ÖH), a public child carecenter, a supermarket, a bookstore, anda restaurant are located in this complex.

BUILDING

KEY FACTS

UNITS

D2/SC:
Departments andStudent Center› Architects: Atelier
Hitoshi Abe, Japan› Total floor space:approx. 29,000 m2› Two building segments› Curved, black-and-whitefaçadeDepartments› Foreign Language BusinessCommunication› Information Systems and Operations› Management› Marketing
Research Institutes› Cryptoeconomics› Urban Management and GovernanceCompetence Center› Non-profit Organizations
and Social Entrepreneurship
Library for Business Languages
Students’ Union (ÖH)

7

The Library & Learning Center by Zaha
Hadid is the heart of the campus, both
geographically and figuratively. The cantilevered roof with its sweeping glass
front (the “monitor”) is visible from afar.
Coming closer, visitors will realize that thebuilding is divided into two sections, separated by a vein of glass running the lengthof the building. Inside, the impressive,
futuristic entrance hall rises four stories

high. After passing through the entrance
hall, the building splits into two parts,
connected by walkways. The Central
Library takes up most of the building,extending in a funnel shape over six
floors. The building also houses all studyrelated service units, IT Services, and acafé. The WU Shop on the ground floor
offers a wide range of WU-themed merchandise.

BUILDING

KEY FACTS

UNITS

LC:
Library & Learning
Center› Architects:
Zaha Hadid Architects,
Hamburg› Total floor space:approx. 44,000 m2› 1,500 student
workstations› Cantilevered roof
with monitor

Student Services
IT SERVICES
International Office
WU ZBP Career Center
Competence Center› Center for Business Languages
Central Library› Library management

To the west of the square in front of the
Library & Learning Center, the neigh­boring buildings are the bright orange
and yellow complex designed by Sir Peter
Cook and CRABstudio, and a departmentcomplex planned by Carme Pinós. Peter
Cook’s organic-looking ensemble D3/AD
is made up of two main buildings, a
department building and an administrative building, and houses WU’s law

9departments, the Library for Law, WU’s
management and administration, and abakery shop. The brightly colored façades
are fronted with a lively arrangementof vertically and horizontally mounted

wooden planks, intended as a visual reference to the trees of nearby Prater Park.
The building interiors are characterized
by rounded, flowing shapes and brightprimary colors.

BUILDING

KEY FACTS

UNITS

D3/AD:
Departments andAdministration› Architects:
CRABstudio, London› Total floor space:approx. 25,000 m2› Two-part complex› Yellow-orange-red
façade faced withwooden planks

Departments› Finance, Accounting and Statistics(Accounting only)› Private Law› Public Law and Tax Law
Research Institutes› CEE Legal Studies› International Taxation› Urban Management andGovernance
Administration› Rector’s Council› University management
Library for Law

The most prominent feature of thedepartment building D4, directly acrossfrom the D3/AD complex, is a multitudeof parallelograms, found both in the basic
plan of the building and in the façade.
The playful arrangement of the geometricshapes results in a lively-looking building
with offset windows. Academic departments, research institutes, the OeNB
Library for Social Sciences, and a restaurant are located in this complex designedby Spanish architect Carme Pinós.

BUILDING

KEY FACTS

UNITS

D4:
Departments› Architects:
Estudio Carme
Pinós S. L., Barcelona› Total floor space:approx. 19,000 m2› ‘Tetris’ façade

Departments› Economics› Finance, Accounting and Statistics(without Accounting)› Socioeconomics(without Managing Sustainability)
Research Institutes› Computational Methods› Economics of Aging› European Affairs› Regulatory Economics› Spatial and Real Estate Economics
Competence Center› Empirical Research Methods
OeNB Library for Social Sciences

11

A few steps further on, the WU Executive
Academy building marks the western
perimeter of the campus. The compact,
seven-story tower was designed byMadrid architects NO.MAD Arquitectos,

based on a mono-material design principle. The outer façade is made of glass andaluminum. Different degrees of transparency, from opaque to completely translucent, reflect the sky and the surrounding

BUILDING

KEY FACTS

UNITS

EA:
WU Executive
Academy› Architects:
NO.MAD Arquitectos,
Madrid› Total floor space:approx. 7,000 m2› Reflective façade

WU Executive Academy
Corporate Relations &Alumni Services
Competence Center› Sustainability Transformation
and Responsibility

greenery, integrating the building perfectly into its environment. In addition
to the Executive Academy’s offices andclassrooms, the building also houses the
Corporate Relations & Alumni Services.

Across from the Executive Academy
building, bordering Prater Park, is abuilding complex called Campus Messe­
straße. WU’s Department Building 5, theSigmund Freud University, and student
dormitories run by the organization Akademikerhilfe are located in this complex.

BUILDING

KEY FACTS

UNITS

D5:
Departments› Holzer Kobler
Architekturen and
Freimüller Söllinger
Architektur ZT GmbH
› Three segments used
for different purposes:
WU, Sigmund Freud
Privat Universität,
student apartments› communicative area inthe courtyard

Department› Strategy and Innovation
Competence Center› Experimental ResearchGroups› Demography Group13

AWARD-WINNING ARCHITECTURE

The architecture of Campus WU is not only
popular with visitors, it also receives accolades from the juries of national and international architecture competitions. In thespring of 2014, the six building complexes
that make up the campus received theSchorsch Award, presented by Vienna’s
Municipal Department for Architectureand Urban Design (Municipal Department 19). The City of Vienna presents
the Schorsch Awards every year to honor
outstanding architectural projects. The
following summer, the renowned Architectural Digest magazine ranked Campus
WU among the nine best new university
buildings around the world.
The campus’ bold colors have not goneunnoticed, either: In October 2014, theorange-yellow D3/AD department andadministration building, designed by Sir
Peter Cook and CRABstudio, won the
Innovative Use of Colour on Exteriors

Prize at the World Architecture Festival
in Singapore. The D3/AD complex and
the WU Library & Learning Center also
received the prestigious RIBA European
Award, presented by the Royal Instituteof British Architects.
Vienna-based architects BUSarchitektur
received the E. A. Plischke Award for
the TC/D1 buildings, the Campus WU
master plan, and the grounds design inNovember 2014. In 2015, BUSarchitektur
was also awarded the Premio CICA de
Urbanismo in urbanism by the International Committee of Architectural Critics(CICA).
The campus’ innovative guidance andorientation system, designed by buerobauer, was distinguished with the Red
Dot Award. The campus orientation system combines analog, digital, tactile,
and acoustic media to make Campus WU
accessible to all.

Sustainable Architecture
The campus was planned with the goal of providing all of WU’s faculty,
staff, and students with the best possible conditions for work and study.
To achieve this goal, well-thought-out floor plans were realized using
sustainable construction materials and methods.

The top priority when planning the campus was to create a working environment for students, faculty, and staff thatencourages productivity and communication. Intelligent room planning with theright rooms for individual working styles
was a key factor in realizing this goal.

Sustainability – including economical,
ecological, and social aspects – was amain priority in the planning and construction of Campus WU.
In 2019 WU’s campus became Austria’s
first climate neutral university campus.

WORKING AND STUDYING ON CAMPUS

For students›› Study areas with approx. 3,000 workstations for quiet independent work›› Project rooms seating 2–20 for group work or small classes›› Lounges for informal meetings and breaks between classes
For faculty and staff›› Light-filled, well-equipped offices for maximal concentration and productivity›› Seating groups for meetings›› Large staff lounges for breaks and informal meetings

15

GREEN BUILDINGSThe entire campus was built based on
Green Building principles. These principles include:›› Minimizing life-cycle costs›› Using highly durable building
materials and constructions›› Energy efficiency›› Using local, renewableenergy resources›› Landscaping concepts›› Use of geothermal energy
for heating and cooling›› Use of solar energy›› Socio-cultural factors: accessibility,
health, and safety
In 2015, the Austrian Sustainable Building
Council (ÖGNI) granted Blue Building
certifications to all building complexes
on campus: The Department Building 1
was awarded a gold certification, all otherbuildings silver.
The Blue Building concept takes Green
Building standards to a new level. Unlike
green buildings, where the emphasis ismainly on energy efficiency, Blue Building

certification focuses on the needs of thebuildings’ human occupants: People
should feel comfortable living and working there. The certification is awarded
based on transparent and standardized criteria, including ecological andeconomic standards, socio-cultural andfunctional aspects, and technical performance. The conservation of energy
and resources is also evaluated, as is thedegree to which the buildings meet economic and human needs.
PIONEERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENTWU promotes environmental awarenessamong its employees and students, supports environmentally friendly and sustainable activities, and encourages students, faculty, and staff to actively deal
with sustainability-related issues, also intheir research and teaching. To optimize
and improve its environmentally relevant
programs, WU has introduced an environmental management system pursuant to
the regulation issued by the European
Parliament (EMAS, ECO Management
and Audit Scheme).

WU also fulfills all the requirements for
ISO 14001 (2015) and has had this additional environmental qualification confirmed through ISO certification.

a series of guidelines for the inclusionof people with disabilities. These guidelines define WU’s goals in making WU an
accessible workplace for everyone.

WU also fulfills all the requirements for
ISO 14001 (2015) and has had this additional environmental qualification confirmed through ISO certification.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY UNIVERSIT YACCESSIBILIT Y

An accessibility concept was developed forCampus WU that was based both on legal
requirements for barrier-free accessibility
as well as on best-practice examples. All
auditoriums are barrier free, all areas arewheelchair accessible, and a tactile guidance system is in place to allow the visually
impaired to find their way around campus.
WU also offers support programs forstudents and employees with disabilities. In the BeAble program, experienced students provide students withdisabilities with help and support, andat the employee level, WU has published

WU is aware of its social responsibility
and is working continuously to make university life more compatible with family life. There is a child care center on
campus, in the SC building, that is open
to WU employees and students. Additional measures in place to help the WU
community balance their work and family
responsibilities include the establishmentof a Dual Career Services office to assist
in the integration of newly recruited professors and their families, the expansionof occupational health services, and comprehensive information on caring for family members.
These efforts have paid off – WU has
been certified as a family-friendly university by the “universityandfamily” auditing
authority since 2013.

17

Learning Landscapes
In addition to its impressive architecture, Campus WU also offers students
and teachers state-of-the-art classrooms and teaching equipment.

AUDITORIUMS AND CLASSROOMS

All of the large auditoriums and mostof the smaller seminar rooms and classrooms are in the Teaching Center building, and additional smaller classrooms
are located on the ground floors of thedepartment buildings for barrier-freeaccessibility. All classrooms and auditoriums on campus have natural daylight fora pleasant teaching and learning atmosphere.
WU’s largest auditorium, the Audimax,
seats close to 650. Smaller auditoriums
seat 180, 120, or 60, and seminar rooms
seat up to 30 occupants. All classrooms
on campus are administered using acentral booking system. This software

19

coordinates all room reservations on campus and allows for efficient room management.
Classrooms are equipped with bothtraditional teaching aids like flipcharts
and whiteboards as well as state-of-theart presentation technology. Almost all
rooms are equipped with double projection screens, allowing teachers to present
multiple visuals at the same time. Digital
whiteboards allow both teachers and students to present, rearrange, and combine
materials in new and creative ways. Notes
taken during the presentation directly on
the presented materials can be saved as a
PDF file and uploaded to WU’s eLearning
system Learn@WU.

“Finally, classrooms with windows! This is a major improvement for both teachers andstudents.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Christian Bellak,
Institute for Economic Policy
and Industrial Economics

INDIVIDUAL STUDY AREAS AND
PROJECT ROOMS

Increasing the number of student workstations was a key goal when planning
the new campus. Most of the new workstations are located in the Library &Learning Center, but study zones arealso available in the department buildings and the specialist libraries. Different working environments were createdto suit every learning need. Quiet study
zones are perfect for intense, concentrated studying, whereas in communicative study areas, students can converse
and work together.

CL ASSROOM EQUIPMENT›› Movable or fold-down seating and desks›› Digital and/or traditional whiteboards›› Teacher’s computer›› Speakers›› Wireless microphone›› Electrical outlets for student laptops

Project rooms are a completely new room
category. Project rooms are available ina variety of sizes (seating 2–20) and canbe booked by teachers for small classes
or breakout sessions or by students forgroup projects or study group activities.

Teaching Center. Computer labs are open
to students when not in use for classes.
The Departments of Socioeconomics andInformation Systems and Operations also
have their own computer labs.

COMPUTER LABS

R AIFFEISEN LANGUAGERESOURCE CENTER

The new campus has a number of computer labs, two of which are in the Library& Learning Center and three in the

The Raiffeisen Language Resource
Center is a modern language teachingfacility. Its comprehensive selection of

21

teaching materials and digital resources
gives students numerous ways to learn
and efficiently master foreign languages.
The Center’s rooms on campus provide
ideal conditions for independent language learning.
The Raiffeisen Language Resource Center also has stateof-the-art language labs
for language classes. The computers
installed in the labs are linked together ina network and the teaching environment
facilitates a wide variety of languagelearning activities.
For a small fee, the Center for Business
Languages, established in 2019, offers
basic language courses to anyone interested in learning a foreign language. Participants do not need to be enrolled in a
WU program.

THE L ANGUAGE RESOURCE FACILIT Y

Individual study area›› Extensive media library with multimedia language learning materials in 35 languages›› 27 computer workstations with access to language learning software and IPTV
(over 50 television programs in different languages)›› Five tandem learning rooms for group language study
Language labs›› Computer workstations equipped for audio-visual recording›› Telephone simulation software with automatic recording feature

Room for Knowledge
Research is one of WU’s core competences. The architecture of the campus
creates space for efficient academic work and for gathering knowledge.

Campus WU was built to reflect the university’s academic structure, which isorganized into departments. Previously,
the individual institutes that make upeach department were scattered acrossvarious locations – now they are concentrated into the campus’ five departmentbuildings for increased convenience andefficiency in the faculty’s everyday work.

MAIN LIBR ARY COLLECTIONS›› Business administration›› Economics›› Law (particularly business law)›› Information systems›› Statistics and mathematics›› Economic geography and economic history›› Sociology›› Business education

The department buildings were designed
to create the best possible working conditions for WU’s faculty and staff. Lightfilled, well-equipped offices allow for
optimal concentration, productivity, andcreativity. Conference rooms are available for working in teams. All conference
rooms are equipped for audio-visual presentations. Spacious lounges and break23

areas in the institutes and departments
encourage informal networking and communication.
LIBR ARIESThe WU library is the largest of its kindin Austria and one of the largest in theGerman-speaking world. It is organized
into four libraries on Campus WU. The
Central Library, the largest of the four, islocated in the Library & Learning Center,and the specialist libraries are housed indifferent department buildings, giving
WU’s researchers fast and easy accessto the literature they need for their work.
The Central Library, spread over a totalof six floors, has 1,500 student workstations and 66 computer workstations. In

the library’s Newslounge, over 70 daily
newspapers, weekly papers, magazines,
and business and economics magazines
are available for reading. The LibraryPressDisplay gives library users accessto over 1,600 daily newspapers from over
90 different countries.

“The outstanding originality andquality of the architecture inspire
us to excellence in teaching andresearch.”
Univ.Prof. Dr. Werner Hoffmann,
Institute for Strategic Management

The Library for Law is located in the D3
building with all of WU’s law departments,
and contains literature from all legal fields.
Building D4 houses the OeNB Libraryfor Social Sciences, in close proximity
to the Departments of Socioeconomics
and Economics. The Library for Business
THE LIBR ARY IN NUMBERS›› approx. 650,000 books›› approx. 130,000 digital eBooks›› approx. 700 print periodicals›› Subscriptions to approx. 25,000 eJournals›› Subscriptions to approx. 140 databases

Languages has a wide selection of media
on linguistics and foreign languages, aswell as current periodicals in the languages
taught at WU. This library is intended
mainly to aid the faculty of the Department of Foreign Language Business Communication in their teaching and research.
All specialist libraries have work andstudy areas, project rooms, and color
scanners.

25Open Spaces
Campus WU is more than just a place to study and work, it also offers plentyof opportunities to relax and recharge your batteries.

A stroll across campus makes it clear thatthe planners also had the rest and relaxation needs of its future occupants inmind. The grounds between the buildings
are a park-like landscape with walkways
and open spaces, lawns and fountains,lush plantings, and inviting seating installations. The various outdoor furnishings
are as diverse as the buildings, created
to inspire visit­ors to take a short break orsit down for a longer rest. In front of the
Teaching Center, students and visitors

sit and lounge on the wide, comfortablewooden platforms, while smaller seating niches nestled into the large planters dot the area in front of the D3 building. Between the AD and D4 buildings,
an artificial island surrounded by wateron three sides is furnished with organically formed concrete seats and tables
designed by Vienna designers Graulicht.
A softly rolling green landscape forms
an inviting, sofa-like seating area acrossfrom the Executive Academy building.

27

Campus WU also has a wide selection ofrestaurants and cafés to suit every taste.
Ranging in size from the Mensa cafeteria
to intimate small cafés, most hospitality
providers on campus also have outdoor
seating in the summer months.
The campus grounds were designed to
be a space for communication. The recreational areas and restaurants on campus are not just for WU’s students, faculty, and staff, but also for neighbors,
passersby, and other visitors. Via oneof the three main entrances or one of“The campus makes studying at
WU a special experience. Evenin difficult moments, it offers an
oasis of peace and quiet. WU much
more than just a university – it’sart in concrete.”Jens Krebes, student

the smaller entranceways, the campus
grounds are open for exploring 24 hours
a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Cold and rainy days are no problem on
campus, either: Faculty and staff havecomfortable lounges and seating areas
for lunch and coffee breaks, and students can use the six student lounges
distributed among the department buildings. Student lounges are furnished withcouches, tables, and chairs and are perfect for eating, relaxing, or meeting
friends between classes.

EVENTS ON CAMPUS WUIn addition to its research and education
activities, Campus WU also has plentyof space for social, cultural, and political events. With its panel discussion andlecture series WU presents controversial
topics for debate. WU also hosts conferences and congresses, bringing international experts and speakers to Vienna.
Campus WU offers appropriate rooms forthese and other events. The Ceremonial
Halls on the ground floor of the Library &Learning Center seat 400 and 200 guests
and are equipped with state-of-the-art

presentation techno­logy. Smaller events
can be held in the club lounge upstairs in
the Library & Learning Center or in the
Executive Academy foyer. Six conference
rooms seating between 20 and 80 people
are located in the AD building. Auditoriums can also be used for lectures or
panel discussions.
The Forum in the Library & Learning
Center is the ideal venue for larger-scale
events, including WU’s bachelor-level
graduation ceremonies, small trade fairs,
and informational events for students.

29

Au

llu
ss t e

ng s

stra

ße

V

Max-Koppe Gasse

U2 MESSE

L M K Athletic facilities
J Bicycle parking
x Information
N O Restaurant
X LibraryS R Shopping

EA

Entrance

D4
We l t h a n d e l s p l a t z

Messestraße

AD

Memorial
Memo

D5

D3
Südportalstraße

EA

WU Executive Academy O› Corporate Relations & Alumni Services

AD ADMINISTR ATION› Rector’s Council

N

Prater Park

D4 DEPARTMENTS 4 N› Economics› Socioeconomics› Finance, Accounting and Statistics
		 (w/out Accounting)› OeNB Library for Socioeconomics X

D3

DEPARTMENTS 3› Finance, Accounting and Statistics		 (only Accounting)› Public Law and Tax Law› Private Law› Library for Law X

8
SüdporLC

LIBR ARY & LEARNING CENTER› Ceremonial halls› Forum› IT-Services› Central Library X› Study Service Center› International OfficexN

Vorgar tens traßBus line 8 2 Ae

82A
KrieauU2 KRIEAU

82A
Trabrennstraße

Messe WienLC
Entrance garage

D1

SC

orial

D2
D2

82A82Artalstraße
Südportalstraße
D2

SC

DEPARTMENTS 2 ORS› Foreign Language BusinessCommunication› Information Systems and Operations› Management› Marketing› Library for Business Languages X
STUDENT CENTER› Austrian Students’ Union (ÖH)› Student organizations› Sports Center K› Kindergarten P

D1

DEPARTMENTS 1 O› Global Business and Trade› Cafeteria O

TC

TEACHING CENTER› Auditorium Maximum› AulaD5

DEPARTMENTS 5› Strategy and Innovation› Socioeconomics (Demography)N

TrabrennstraßeTC

Arriving by public transport:
Subway: U2 stations “Messe-Prater” or “Krieau”
Bus: 82A, “Südportalstraße” stop

2019/10WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business)
Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna
wu.ac.at