Revival of the Jesuit restaurant: University of Graz celebrates summit ceremony!

By the summer of 2025, a modern main building with a usable area of ​​about 1,300 square meters will be built at Graz Rosenhain near the university’s sports center and the Aigner-Rollett-Allee training and diagnostics center for the Institute for Mobility. Sciences, Sports and Health at the University of Graz. The University of Graz and GBG Building and Construction Management Graz GmbH are renovating and restoring the “Old Jesuit Refectory”, a listed house from the 17th century. The amount of construction is around 13 million euros. On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, an important milestone in the construction project was marked: the shell was completed and the roof level was reached. Traditionally, apprentices would break glass through the “equal word”.

President Peter Riedler emphasized the importance of the project in his speech: “Excellent scientists need freedom for creative research, interdisciplinary collaboration and an environment that constructively stimulates curiosity and enables new -customize With the revival of the Jesuit restaurant, we are creating such a free space for science and active movement and a meeting place for people. “

“Today we see not only the architectural completion of a historic building, but also the combination of history and modernity and careful planning and implementation during construction. I would like to thank everyone on this special building for the University of Graz for their good cooperation. But today I would like to give special thanks to the apprentices who gave us an insight into their society and tradition.”

“After the exciting period of project development and planning, the GBG is very pleased to be able to implement the revival of the Jesuit restaurant as a service provider for the University of Graz and that they are now on a stone -mile to reach the roof of the house. For us it is a great challenge to be able to combine historic buildings with modern technology and contemporary architecture,” says Günter Hirner, managing director of GBG.

City councilor Manfred Eber: “The Rosenhain is one of the most important local recreation areas in Graz. The listed building is being restored carefully and with the greatest possible consideration for nature. We are pleased that new buildings will be created for the University of Graz as part of this joint project.”

“Incredibly located in the natural area of ​​Rosenhain, the former Jesuit monastery building has been a special place in Graz since the 17th century. I am very happy that we are now leading this listed cultural asset into the future as an educational space for the university. “All this is possible thanks to sustainable design and sensitive integration into one of Graz’s most beautiful natural areas,” affirms Judith Schwentner, Deputy Mayor of the City of Graz.

Modern study area
The Jesuit restaurant has a long history. It was first built in the 17th century as a summer residence for the Jesuits, and has been rebuilt several times over the centuries. After a devastating fire in 1984, which destroyed large parts of the building, only the outer walls were preserved. As a result of the current renovation work, the historic building is being restored to its full beauty.

With around 50 workstations, a lecture hall and conference rooms for a total of 284 people, as well as modern event rooms on a total of five floors, the restaurant will not only expand the Jesuit infrastructure of the University of Graz, but it also makes a significant contribution to the educational landscape of the city. 97 bicycle parking spaces are expected, of which 13 are covered. There is also an unrestricted parking space and a delivery area. The University of Graz plans to complete the entire project in the summer of 2025. Research and teaching work will begin in the winter semester of 2025/2026. The forest clearing to the north of the structure and the forest areas outside it are designated as recreational woods and are open to the public to enhance the local Rosenhain recreation area.

History meets technology
The project to restore the Jesuit restaurant combines monument protection with modern technology and sustainability. All construction work to renovate and expand the existing building occurs after intensive coordination with the Federal Monuments Office. As it involves the restoration of a historically important monument, the project is supported by the Federal Monuments Office and the State of Styria.

The building is equipped with a modern energy concept with a deep probe heat pump system with an output of around 100 kW, which provides both heating and partial cooling. For this purpose, 21 deep boreholes, each 120 meters deep, will be made in the forest clearing area. As a result of the implementation of this innovative heat pump system, funding was guaranteed by the Federal Ministry of Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Transport, Innovation and Technology. To avoid the risk of summer drying from the rose ponds to the south, a drainage concept is being implemented after coordination with the green area and the water of the city, with which all rain and slope water will be collected and admitted to the bathroom. high rose high lunch.