Germany: €75 Bn needed to renovate university buildings

Around 40% of university buildings in Germany are over 25 years old and in need of modernisation and energy upgrading. In total, around €75 Bn should be invested in renovating and modernising higher education establishments, estimates the HIS Institute for Higher Education Development (HIS-HE) in a report published on 27/05/2024.

Set up in 2014 at the initiative of the Science Conference (GWK) and based in Hanover, the institution funded by the 16 Länder has set itself the task of providing expertise for the construction and renovation of higher education buildings. Following the publication of the report, and given the climate objectives, the university experts have come out in favour of giving priority to energy renovation.

Of the approximately €75 Bn needed for university construction as a whole, €22-25 Bn should be allocated to the structure of buildings and their energy renovation. The Länder, which have had sole responsibility for university construction since the reform of federalism in 2006, are feeling overwhelmed by these costs.

In a report published in June 2023, the…