A milestone at the University of Bayreuth – the Innovation Institute celebrates its topping-out ceremony

• A ceremonial topping-out ceremony with a topping-out speech
• Bavarian Minister of State for Housing, Construction and Transport visits the site
• The timber frame construction is nearing completion

On 5 October 2026, a topping-out ceremony was held at the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I) at the University of Bayreuth. With the completion of the building envelope, the new building – constructed predominantly using a hybrid timber-steel construction method – has reached an important milestone.
 
To mark the topping-out ceremony, the Bavarian State Ministry for Housing, Construction and Transport invited representatives from the worlds of politics, academia and the construction industry to the building site. The highlight of the event was the address by Christian Bernreiter, MdL, Bavaria’s Minister of State for Housing, Construction and Transport. He emphasised the importance of the project for Bavaria as a centre of science and research. Further welcoming remarks were given by Stephanie Kreisel, Head of the Building Construction Division at the Bayreuth State Building Authority; Prof. Dr Dr h.c. Stefan Leible, President of the University of Bayreuth; and Dr Petra Beermann, Head of the Institute for E&I. The topping-out ceremony concluded, as is traditional, with a toast by timber construction site manager Sven Harsch, who wished the building good fortune and blessings for the future. The guests then gathered for a topping-out banquet on the building site.
 
The five-storey building is being constructed by ZÜBLIN Timber in collaboration with ZÜBLIN’s Eastern Division, Bayreuth branch, on behalf of the Bayreuth State Building Authority as the client. In future, it will offer around 1,800 m² of usable floor space for research, teaching, innovation projects and collaboration with businesses. In addition to offices, workshops and meeting rooms, exhibition spaces and a café are also planned.

780 m³ of timber for the new institute building
Structurally, the new building relies on a combination of timber and steel. Around 780 m³ of timber will be used in the construction of the five-storey building. The prefabricated LENO^® external and internal walls, as well as ceiling elements, are integrated into a steel frame structure. ZÜBLIN Timber is responsible for the manufacture and assembly of the timber structure, as well as for the construction of the shell and the façade.
 
Work on the façade began at the end of September with the installation of windows, before further façade work involving a metal and brick façade follows from mid-October. Completion of the new institute building is scheduled for the end of 2027.