Finance Minister Hartmut Vorjohann: "Future-orientated research and teaching need modern laboratories. The Free State of Saxony invests in the buildings and equipment of its universities in order to create the best conditions for researchers, teachers and students. Here at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, we are spending over 61 million euros together with the EU on the two new laboratory wings. If the historical part of Clemens Winkler building is also renovated, this will complete the striking ensemble of buildings on the campus."

Science Minister Sebastian Gemkow: "I am delighted that the key to the two new laboratories is now in the hands of TUBAF. This paves the way for new research in chemistry, which will play a central role in the transition to a climate-neutral industrial society. I wish everyone involved inspiration and courage for new forward-looking concepts."

Prof. Dr Klaus-Dieter Barbknecht, Rector of the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg: "Like Clemens Winkler - the namesake of the building and the discoverer of the element germanium - we know that excellent research requires an excellent infrastructure. Thanks to the funding, our researchers and students will be able to utilise this. This will significantly improve the general working conditions: starting with supply and safety, continuing with the functional linking of the individual laboratories for better collaboration and extending to the friendly working atmosphere throughout the new building."

In an area of more than 4,000 square metres, the two new laboratory wings will in future house eight institutes, including the six chemical institutes of Inorganic, Organic, Physical, Analytical and Technical Chemistry as well as Biosciences. The new building also houses the Institute of Electronics and Sensor Materials, the Institute of Mineralogy and the High Pressure Research Centre.

Since chemical experiments in particular will be carried out in the two laboratory wings in future, there were specific structural and safety requirements. For example, a centralised supply of cooling water, compressed air, nitrogen and argon, a high-purity gas installation for laboratory-specific special gases and a central hazard alarm system were installed. The special features of the new building include a metal-free clean room laboratory for the precise dating of rocks, a laboratory for the development of new materials for catalysts and hydrogen storage and a laboratory for producing new materials under extreme pressures and temperatures in a high-pressure press.

The exterior design of the two new laboratory wings is similar to the North Wing, which was completed in 2014, creating a uniform building impression. The centre and south laboratory wings are each connected to the old building via a narrow, transparent corridor.

The construction costs for the two new laboratory wings totalled 61.2 million euros. 40.6 million of this comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The construction project is co-financed by tax revenue on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon state parliament. The project was managed by the Chemnitz branch of the Saxon State Office for Real Estate and Construction Management.

Historic Clemens Winkler Building - refurbishment from the second half of 2024

The existing Clemens Winkler Building, in which the laboratories were previously largely housed, will be refurbished from the second half of 2024. Completion is planned for the end of 2028. Its future use will focus on offices, administrative areas, seminar rooms and a small lecture theatre. The existing large lecture theatre will also be renovated. The old Clemens Winkler building is one of the most striking buildings on the university campus. It was built between 1951 and 1954 and has been in use since then without any major structural changes. The building is named after the important Freiberg chemist and professor of inorganic chemistry Clemens Alexander Winkler. He discovered the chemical element germanium in 1886 and was Rector of the Freiberg Mining Academy from 1896 to 1899.