The topic for the Master's thesis in the winter semester 2023/24 proposes a new location for the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering at TU Dortmund University. Even if it is a purely hypothetical project, it takes up aspirations that date back to the early 1980s on the part of the faculty. Josef Paul Kleihues, Professor of Design and Urban Planning from 1973-94, for example, proposed moving the faculty to Dortmund's city center in order to create a spatial connection to the city and to establish contact between culture and society. However, all these efforts failed, which ultimately led to Josef Paul Kleihues leaving the faculty to accept an appointment at the Academy in Düsseldorf.
The original and implemented location decision to plan a university campus in Dortmund-Barop was deliberately made by those responsible for planning in the 1970s in order to cover the eastern Ruhr region as far as Hagen and commuters from the Sauerland. However, this was already criticized in specialist circles during the planning phase. After the years of the major construction phase, criticism was repeatedly voiced.

Even today, after almost 50 years, the distance between the campus and the city cannot be denied.In addition, there is a glaring lack of workspaces and workshops that other comparable faculties can offer their students and which are becoming increasingly urgent for the growing student numbers.In the interests of sustainable development, the Chair of Building Typologies proposes the conversion of the vacant Hoesch Union administration building. The Union administration building was the former headquarters of Union AG für Bergbau, Eisen- und Stahlindustrie in Dortmund and is now a listed building in the city of Dortmund. For years, the city administration has been looking for a function for this historic building, which for various reasons would be ideal as a faculty building. Teaching rooms play a key role in their surroundings.They function as important public reference points in the neighborhoods and are an integral part of a well-functioning community that is reflected in these buildings.

They enjoy a prominent position within the urban structure and must therefore meet demanding spatial and design standards.
The design task of the master's thesis is based on the idea of creating a new building for the Dortmund model close to the city center, so that direct networking between the faculty and the city is made possible. The proximity to the main railway station and Unionviertel also significantly improves accessibility by public transport.