DeutschAbout the international guesthouse of Darmstadt university of applied sciences
Darmstadt university of applied sciences welcomes international guests in its recently renovated international guest house and visitor center. It is situated in one of the calmest and most beautiful areas of residence in Darmstadt called “Paulusviertel” and has been built as a place of private residence in 1931/32 by the Darmstadt architect Sixtus Siegfried Grossmann. After having been thoroughly renovated, the generous mansion now displays new radiance. The redevelopment through the office of the Darmstadt architect Thomas Güninger maintained the original character of the building as far as possible. Inside the building, on the ground, historical flooring and tiling could be kept, all other refurbishment activities had to be attuned with conservation guidelines.
Nine fully furnished modern apartments offer a “temporary home” for guests of the university. They can either book one of six single-apartments or one of three double-apartments. Meeting other guests and a joint social life will be possible in the TV-room, in the kitchen, in the wonderful and spacious garden, on the terrace or in the business-room. This function-room can also be booked. It is fully fitted with all modern conveniences and necessities of technology catering for small conferences, meetings and workshops.
The apartments are all laid out individually and are located on several levels of the building. The total space for living sums up to 550 sq meters. The spaces jointly used by all inhabitants are located on the ground floor. Facilities for laundry, bicycles and storage areas are located in the basement. The furniture was specially designed and produced individually for all the apartments as part of the renovation process. Each apartment, thus, looks different to all others.
In 2013 this concept was nominated in the category “architecture and interior design” for the German Design Award of the German Design Council and was honored to receive a “special mention”. This distinction values pieces of work whose design presents especially conceived solutions thus acknowledging the successful design-concept of the two interior designers Simone Ferrari and Claudia Witte from Seeheim-Jugenheim who have themselves both graduated from Darmstadt university of applied sciences.
Darmstadt is a bicylce-friendly city, the city-center is within a few minutes distance (5 to 10 min.) only. The various campus locations of Darmstadt’s universities are also within easy reach. The connection to the public transportation system is very good (tram station nearby). Frankfurt Rhein-Main airport is only about 30 km away, driving time to the airport by car is approx. 30 to 40 min. A wonderful baroque “Orangerie” park and Darmstadt’s surrounding forests are also right next to the guest house. They offer many opportunities for relaxation.
The guest house is primarily dedicated to the international guests of Darmstadt university of applied sciences. The international office offers services supporting the preparation and organization of their visit. According to availability members of other higher education institutions or research centers in Darmstadt will also be allocated rooms and apartments for their guests, however, with a somewhat lesser priority.
