“IN” stands for innovation: With IN-Campus, AUDI AG and the city of Ingolstadt have gotten a strategic investment off the ground. They will work together to intricately remediate the site of a former oil refinery in Ingolstadt, the first environmental project of its kind in Bavaria. IN-Campus GmbH, a joint venture of AUDI AG and the city of Ingolstadt, is investing in a campus—the focus lies on the technologies of the future. Construction work on the 75-hectare IN-Campus, which was designed to be open and close to nature, is already underway. Today, May 13, the Bavarian Minister President, Dr. Markus Söder, the Mayor of the city of Ingolstadt, Dr. Christian Lösel, and Audi Board of Management Member for Production Peter Kössler, together with the two managing directors of IN-Campus GmbH, are officially laying the foundation stone for the joint project.
The Bavarian Minister President Dr. Markus Söder emphasizes: “Here in Ingolstadt we can see that protecting nature and using cutting-edge technology go hand-in-hand in Bavaria. The IN-Campus will transform an old refinery into an innovation center of the automobile industry on remediated Bavarian soil. The dedication of AUDI AG and the city of Ingolstadt will protect nature and the landscape while also creating many new jobs. This represents a clear commitment to the Ingolstadt site. Future-oriented projects such as these are characteristic of Bavaria and its companies.”
The statement from Dr. Christian Lösel, the Mayor of the city of Ingolstadt, focused on the following: “IN-Campus is the emblem of technological change in our city: What was once a refinery is now becoming an innovation campus. But we are doing more than just constructing new buildings here. We are creating the jobs of the future here, for the technologies of the future! This exemplary innovation campus is a sign of Audi’s generous commitment to the Ingolstadt site. Today’s foundation stone is therefore an important symbol on two fronts: the starting shot for the IN-Campus as well as the foundation stone for the continued positive development of Ingolstadt.”
“With the IN-Campus, we are implementing an environmentally friendly remediation project that is without equal in Bavaria. We are completely remediating a former oil refinery site instead of using unbuilt areas, as was the case in the past,” says Peter Kössler, Audi Board of Management Member for Production and Logistics. “At the same time, we are creating the future, because this is where Ingolstadt’s new thought factory, populated with clever people from Audi, scientists, start-ups and partner companies, will arise. It makes me proud to lay the foundation stone for this today.”
Construction work on the former refinery site in the east of Ingolstadt has already started—in keeping with the progress of soil decontamination. The buildings from construction section 1 (three construction sections are planned in total) are set to be completed in 2023. The IN-Campus does not require any undeveloped land to be covered up—on the contrary, the project will breathe new life into a contaminated industrial wasteland. The project house is already under construction. It takes the form of a large complex made up of four buildings with 42,000 m2 (452,084.2 sq ft) of office and workshop space. From late 2020, around 1,400 developers from Audi and partner companies will work on innovative technology projects in this idea factory. While the project house is being constructed, comprehensive infrastructure work for construction section 1 is also underway.
A major strength of the IN-Campus is the large, continuous area of 75 hectares, the likes of which cannot be found anywhere else in Ingolstadt or the region. It offers an opportunity to create a spacious, flexible and attractive technology park in which high tech and creativity co-exist. 60 hectares will be used as a commercial and industrial park in the future, while the remaining 15 hectares will be restored to nature and landscape. One further advantage is the geographical location: The site is located close to Audi’s main plant and directly on the A9 highway, which is used as a digital test area for the development of automated driving. The Ingolstadt-Süd highway access road will get a direct connection to the IN-Campus.
Free access, open structures and spacious outdoor facilities will be the hallmarks of the campus character of the site. The buffer area is a green corridor in the east, which creates a near-natural transition to the riverside woodland. The riverside woodland and the Danube run adjacent to the north of the site. The IN-Campus connects the urban world with the quietness of the Danube wetlands; it creates an interface between high tech and nature. From north to south, a wide parkway with generous green areas will run across the site in the future. This “campus vein” is a central element in the building concept.
Please click here to view the full press release.
SOURCE: Audi
