Centre for Networked Sensor Systems (ZEVS)

About the building

The ZEVS project is the first major construction initiative aimed at revitalising the Ostufer Campus, which is in dire need of renovation. This project will bring together the CAU's expertise in sensor technology, enabling medical, maritime, and energy technology applications, as well as facilitating the collection of environmental data. As sensor research is a crucial priority research area in the KiNSIS research programme (Kiel Nano, Surface, and Interface Science), this project represents an essential infrastructural reinforcement. With its modern infrastructure for research, teaching, and collaboration, this project offers a significant opportunity to tap into its full potential for the first time.

The new four-storey building boasts 3,600 square metres of floor space, accommodating laboratories, offices and a conference room for public seminars. The ground floor will feature an experimental basin, which is a unique feature in civil research, requiring complex foundations on the construction site. The building's compact, multifunctional design incorporates transparent ground floor zones and a typical Nordic brick cladding, matching the surrounding structures. This is the first new university building in Schleswig-Holstein supported by ERDF funds, i.e. EU funds designated for regional development.

Visualisierung des Neubaus
© pbr Planungsbüro Rohling AG, Visualisierung Mischa Lötzsch, 4 [e] motions

The Faculty of Engineering will receive a research building and a lecture hall building as part of the construction project for the Centre for Networked Sensor Systems (ZEVS), expected to be completed in Q3 of 2023. The project, managed by Gebäudemanagement Schleswig-Holstein AöR (GMSH), has a total cost of around 61 million euros, with the state and the European Regional Development Fund contributing 43 million euros and 18.3 million euros, respectively. The ZEVS will be a hub for interdisciplinary research and innovation, and the lecture hall building will provide space for seminars and events, contributing to the academic and cultural offerings of the Faculty of Engineering. The project reflects the state's commitment to regional development and collaboration across specialist fields.

 

These two construction measures signify the first steps in implementing the urban development framework plan for the Faculty of Engineering, which was developed and agreed upon by all parties involved in 2018 for the 30,000 square metre site of the former shipyard. Additionally, a new campus square will be designed for the Faculty of Engineering by the end of 2024 to create green spaces and enhance the quality of the campus experience.

 

Key data:

Construction: 2021-2023
Construction costs: 36.5 million euros

  • of which about 18.3 million euros are from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
  • and around 14.3 million euros are from the SH infrastructure programme (IMPULS)

Useable area: 3,763 m2
Floors: 4
Architect: pbr Planungsbüro Rohling AG

 

Research and Transfer at ZEVS

The Centre for Networked Sensor Systems (ZEVS) brings together the CAU's research activities in sensor technology and strengthens regional industry networking while also initiating future-oriented projects. The researchers focus on Schleswig-Holstein's areas of expertise, including medicine and life sciences, maritime applications, energy technology and environmental sensor technology. Their cross-application approach has already secured major research and development projects that will benefit from the new infrastructure.

For maritime sensor research, the ZEVS building has a 5m x 5m x 5m water basin to facilitate the development of new sensor systems for the Clean Autonomous Public Transport Network (CAPTN) initiative. The researchers at the Collaborative Research Centre 1261 are developing high-precision networked magnetic field sensors for medical applications, including the early detection of inflammation parameters after cancer operations. In environmental sensor technology, the scientists are researching miniaturised measuring systems that can continuously measure nitrate values in the soil. The ZEVS infrastructure also offers opportunities for technological spin-offs and regional companies to test new product ideas and concepts, thus fostering a close exchange of experience and knowledge.