To mark the 50th anniversary of the university and the 20th anniversary of the “Landscaping and Management” course, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf inaugurated its anniversary garden.
The time has come! Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences has a new attraction. To mark the university’s 50th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of the “Landscaping and Management” course, the Weihenstephan Triesdorf anniversary garden was inaugurated on the Weihenstephan campus in November 2021. Read all about it here.
The special thing about the anniversary garden on the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf campus is not that it was built for the 50th anniversary of the university, but that it has moved. That’s right: a garden can move. This was made possible by the students of the seventh semester of the “Landscaping and Management” course as part of a study project.
The garden was set up for the first time under the motto “ClimateMove – Applied Science for Future” at the State Garden Show in Ingolstadt, where it represented Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences. The themed garden of around 300 square meters represented the university’s research and teaching approaches: climate-friendly construction and management. The State Garden Show came to an end at the beginning of October and the installation had to be dismantled. The project idea was based on the umbrella term “sustainability”, so nothing was further from the minds of those involved in the project than disposing of this garden. The idea of moving it was born. But how can a garden be moved? Loading a truck with moving boxes is probably not enough.
This is where the seventh semester students on the Landscaping and Management course come into play. A move this big requires a lot of planning and careful preparation. A good six months ago, the students began to record all the work that needed to be done and put together the necessary materials. As in “real life”, they drew up a list of services for their project, including a cost estimate, in order to keep an eye on finances and quality.
The next planning phase involved obtaining quotes for materials and services that the students could not provide themselves, such as a truck-mounted crane. As it was a student project, another important component was acquiring sponsors. Thanks to numerous sponsors from the landscaping sector, the students were able to keep the construction costs as low as possible.
Occupational safety part of every task
Once the planning and organization phase was complete, the students divided the project into different groups that took on different functions. For example, one group was responsible for the staircase and another for the pavilion. The individual groups acted as contractors. Opposite them was the client group, which was supported by Prof. Dr. Thomas Brunsch, who was responsible for the project. Together, they represented the interests of the university. The students supported the entire project in terms of occupational safety. Occupational safety was part of the work preparation for each group. The wearing of personal protective equipment (including high-visibility vests and helmets) was just as important a component as ergonomic work and the safe handling of machines and equipment.
The practical part of the student project began at the start of the winter semester, at the beginning of October 2021. First, the students prepared the designated area. They moved plants, removed old foundation slabs and created a subgrade. They also had to carry out further preparatory work a few weeks before the actual move to ensure that everything went smoothly. This included laying the foundations for the pavilion supports, the staircase and other elements. In addition, 26 trees in Ingolstadt were removed and balloted by means of large tree transplanting. In addition, skilled workers removed the large concrete paving slabs and transported them to Freising. As the garden area in Weihenstephan is significantly smaller than in Ingolstadt, fewer paving slabs were needed here too. In order to continue the sustainability concept in Weihenstephan, the remaining slabs were reused on site as stairs.
The contractors transported a large part of the garden from Ingolstadt to Freising in just one day. They needed three low-loaders and a mobile crane at each location to load the pavilion with five columns and roof, a tamped concrete wall and several Corten steel elements with natural stone wall infill, drive them to Freising and unload them there. Securing the load was a delicate and time-consuming task. After the big moving day, the responsible project group also completed the surfacing and planting work. Afterwards, those involved in the project were delighted with the successful move, which was kept on schedule and on budget thanks to the groups’ good preparation and commitment.
A new attraction thanks to student work
On November 25, 2021, the final act was the acceptance of the project. Prof. Dr. Brunsch, as representative of the HSWT, the students of the seventh semester of landscaping and management, as well as Mr. Großberger from the GBP office, who led the acceptance, took part. The President of the HSWT, Dr. Eric Veulliet, stated: “The university has gained a new attraction through your work.” The jubilee garden was thus finally handed over into his hands.
The project participants would like to thank the many generous sponsors who made the project possible: Gaissmaier GartenLandschaft, Schmidt + Hauck, Pflaster- und Erbau W. Krebs, DKM GalaBau, Wurzer Umwelt, Majuntke, Green Company Garten- und Landschaftsbau, Freisinger Gartenschmiede, Großbaumverpflanzung Opitz, Wacker Neuson, Godelmann, Thomas Heumann Gartenanlagen, Schäfer Wege- und Landschaftsbau, A. Weindl, WeiSa Saatgut.
Also interesting: An important institution on the main campus of the TU Munich will remain closed for an indefinite period of time: the Vorhoelzer Forum. You can read more about this here.
