Mar 28, 2025 | Posted by Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji
The University of Mannheim has started work on a new data center and held a small ceremony for the new University IT Mannheim (UNIT) building on March 14. The facility is a three-story, 5,360 sqm (57,685 sq ft) building located in the A5 district along Bismarckstraße, which will be completed by mid-2027. The university said it was investing around €39.5 million ($42.5m) in the project, which is part of a wider redevelopment scheme.
“This is a particularly important moment in the history of our university,” said university president, Professor Dr. Thomas Fetzer, at the laying of the foundation stone. “The UNIT is at the heart of the university and is indispensable for teaching, research, and administration. At the same time, the new building will be a central point of the new campus, which grows together here.”
As part of the ceremony, a current issue of the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper, a USB stick with a review of the UNIT from 2024, a copy of the university's strategic plan, symbolic coins, and a bottle of wine were placed in a metal box, which serves as the foundation stone.