Frankfurt Lab

How can a building designed for dance, theater, and music become more than just a performance venue? The CAMPUS LAB exhibition showcases experimental bachelor’s theses from the Architecture program at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences that explore this question. During the summer semester of 2026, under the guidance of Prof. Stefanie Eberding, Dipl.-Ing. Anke Wünschmann, Prof. Dr. Timo Carl, and Prof. Dr. Holger Techen, the students developed speculative designs for a new Frankfurt LAB building on the former Goethe University campus in Bockenheim some of which also include workspaces for the DFDC.

Particular attention was paid to the idea of how a theater can simultaneously serve as an open space for its neighborhood. The foyer, café, forecourts, and open spatial sequences were examined not only as pathways and spaces for breaks, but also as potential “third places”: low-threshold meeting spots beyond the home and workplace, where people can linger, encounter one another, and participate in cultural life—regardless of whether a performance is taking place and without having to buy anything.

The works are deliberately conceived as academic experimental setups. They explore spatial possibilities without prejudging a final plan for the site. Drawings, collages, visualizations, and models illustrate the design process and open up ideas for new forms of production, performance, and gathering.