Hochschule Karlsruhe Hochschule Karlsruhe - University of Applied Sciences
Hochschule Karlsruhe Hochschule Karlsruhe - University of Applied Sciences
student project draft of a climate-friendly campus building

Climate-positive campus

HKA campus - both city and green

The campus of Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences is located right in the middle of the city while being situated in natural surroundings, to the west of the castle grounds and on the edge of the Hardtwald forest. Five of our six faculties are located directly on the approximately 10-hectare campus proper. The inner-city campus buildings are all within easy walking or cycling distance. The Bruchsal campus is only 20 km away. About 8,000 students, more than 200 professors, over 600 academic and administrative staff, as well as about 400 lecturers have approx. 80,000 m² of gross building floor space at their disposal. Green open spaces with many trees are a distinctive feature of our campus and invite students, during most of the year, to study, hang out and get together under the blue sky typical for Karlsruhe. The tree population binds CO2 and improves the microclimate.

Contact

Office for Campus Infrastructure & Development
Sustainability and Energy Management: Selma Janssen M. Sc.
Climate Protection Management for Karlsruhe Universities: Géza Solar M. Sc.

Karlsruhe universities join climate pact

By signing a climate pact with the city of Karlsruhe, the eight local universities officially committed to implementing the city’s climate protection goals and agreed on close cooperation in terms of teaching formats, research projects, and infrastructural measures.

Master Plan 2030+

The master plan consists of three integral areas: Sustainable buildings and green open spaces - Emission-free mobility - Interaction and social empowerment. This makes the campus climate positive in two senses. On the one hand, in terms of reducing harmful emissions such as CO2, and on the other hand, as a place with exceptional quality of stay that contributes to the positive climate between people on campus.

Our projects on the way to a climate-positive campus

sketch for an extension on campus

Sustainable buildings and high-quality open spaces

Future buildings are to be constructed of resource-saving materials and powered by renewable energies. Users will be provided with comfortable spaces for work, self-study, and socializing. The campus, with its green spaces and shady trees, offers exceptional open spaces for learning, hanging around, and celebrating in the midst of nature.

E-pool car i3 covered with HKA branding

Emission-free mobility

We continuously add to our climate-neutral vehicle fleet. Even now, HKA employees can use bicycles and e-bikes for inner-city trips and use e-vehicles for business trips. Both short distances and emission-free mobility services contribute to make the campus climate-neutral. Using electric vehicles is encouraged by charging stations on campus.

students sitting on deck chairs underneath umbrellas on campus

Interaction and social empowerment

All measures are designed to unlock the potential of this exceptional location and, in addition to the quality of stay, to promote and strengthen interaction between people, deceleration and interdisciplinary communication. Numerous events taking place on campus also mold this place as to meeting, exchange, and participation.

Our campus: a real-life laboratory

Many disciplines are taught at our University that can be used to advance the development towards a sustainable university. Together, students, teachers and staff, we are on the way to an emission-free campus.

Student projects for a climate-positive HKA campus

In numerous subjects at HKA, research and teaching takes place, directly contributing in the form of student project work towards climate neutrality - directly on the spot on our HKA campus!

students standing next to the solar charging station

Solar charging station

The energy systems of the future will be networks consisting of a variety of technologies and applications. Against the backdrop of the digital transformation, the energy turnaround and climate change, the Institute of Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning and Environmental Engieering in this project, has put up a weatherproof charging station for notebooks and mobile phones on the HKA campus, which is operated autonomously with the help of a solar system.

See project details

cargo bike in front of the station

The HKA bicycle repair station

A station was constructed in a central location on the HKA campus for students to repair their bicycles free of charge and independently in order to promote climate-neutral mobility and by means of various project works of Automotive Engineering students at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics

See project details