New building projects and relocations pave the way for AU’s urban campus in Aarhus

AU’s campus development leading up to 2034 – Campus 3.0 – has now been finalised and approved by the university board, and all the details are in place.

In Aarhus, the university will consolidate its activities in the University City, the University Park and Katrinebjerg. New premises are being built and renovated in these areas, while the university is vacating its premises in other locations, including Navitas, Nobel Park and Fuglesang Allé.

Outside Aarhus, AU Viborg is being expanded, and renovations are taking place in Emdrup and Herning.

Get an overview and see a map of where the faculties, central administration, and Enterprise and Innovation will be located on Aarhus Campus once renovations and relocations are complete in 2034.

The plan was approved by the AU board in the autumn, and with the sale of Navitas, all the conditions are now in place for the plan to be realised. Chair of the board Birgitte Nauntofte is pleased that the plan sets out long-term perspectives to consolidate the university’s activities in Aarhus.

“It is a sound and visionary plan, which the board fully supports. AU’s campus in Aarhus has already changed a lot over recent years – particularly with the development of the University City. The new plan enables us to build on our ambitions to promote collaboration between departments and play an even more meaningful role in society. Between now and 2034, Aarhus University will cement its unique position as a campus university, with a cohesive and vibrant campus close to the city centre in Aarhus,” says Birgitte Nauntofte.

"Between now and 2034, Aarhus University will cement its unique position as a campus university, with a cohesive and vibrant campus close to the city centre in Aarhus"

Chair Birgitte Nauntofte

This map shows the overall plan for AU’s campus development in Aarhus leading up to 2034. A number of AU research and teaching departments are still located outside the three main areas on Aarhus Campus, including Dalgas Avenue and Moesgaard. These locations are not shown on the map because they are not directly affected by the Campus 3.0 plans.

Arts in the University City, IT departments at Katrinebjerg, and Tech activities consolidated

The Campus 3.0 plan outlines where Arts, Technical Sciences and the university’s IT departments will be located.

Arts will concentrate most of its activities in the southern part of the University City, which will create a new, cohesive research and study environment, and its digital degree programmes will form an integral part of the development at Katrinebjerg.

Katrinebjerg will become the centre for the university’s IT and engineering departments. A new high-rise building on Åbogade will be a hub for IT subjects. It will house Natural Sciences, the Department of Computer Science, and the IT subjects at Arts – and will be directly connected to Technical Sciences and the IT teams in the innovation hub INCUBA Next.

The campus plan includes a new building on Helsingforsgade, which will serve as an access point to Katrinebjerg. This will house the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, which will relocate from Navitas.

On the other side of the ring road, the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering will move into a new building on Gustav Wieds Vej and also take over Kasernen. With this move, the department will become part of the surrounding technology development research ecosystem along with iNANO and the CORC centre.

Subject synergies and national developments

Rector Brian Bech Nielsen believes that the plan will promote subject synergies across the university and accommodate both sector resizing and relocation developments.

“With this campus plan, the university will upgrade its premises with state-of-the-art facilities and outstanding spaces, providing fertile ground for world-class research, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and a vibrant study and work environment. We will also be moving closer together and covering a smaller area in Aarhus. This is a natural development, given the changes we’re currently experiencing as a result of both relocations and sector resizing. Right now, a whole new campus life is emerging in Viborg,” says Rector Brian Bech Nielsen, emphasising that AU’s ambition to foster vibrant study and work environments naturally includes the university's other locations, where upgrades to facilities will take place, including campuses in Emdrup and Herning.

“With this campus plan, the university will upgrade its premises with state-of-the-art facilities and outstanding spaces, providing fertile ground for world-class research, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and a vibrant study and work environment."

Rector Brian Bech Nielsen

See the current development on AU’s campuses outside Aarhus (in Danish)

University Director Kristian Thorn is delighted that the university now has a consolidated planning framework for the coming years.

“I’m pleased that we have succeeded in uniting all our goals for campus development into a comprehensive plan, complete with the necessary funding – a plan that will guide the visionary and coordinated development of our campus over the next ten years. It is exceptional, both nationally and internationally, that we can consolidate so many of our activities on an urban campus and accommodate the growth we’ve enjoyed in externally funded research. At the same time, we’re creating the foundation for a learning environment that builds on AU’s strong position as a campus university. I look forward to working closely with Estates Projects and Development to implement the plan over the coming years – together with staff and students and in dialogue with the city’s residents and many visitors.”

It is exceptional, both nationally and internationally, that we can consolidate so many of our activities on an urban campus and accommodate the growth we’ve enjoyed in externally funded research.

University Director Kristian Thorn

Central administration to move closer to academic departments

As part of the campus plan, many administrative support functions will move closer to the academic departments they serve. AU HR, AU Research, AU Student Administration and Services, AU Estates Projects and Development, and AU Finance will relocate to the University Park, Trøjborgvej and Kasernen, explains the university director, Kristian Thorn.

“Relocating the faculties creates space for the central administration to become more integrated into the university’s learning and research environments, and students and researchers in Aarhus will enjoy a proximity to our administrative services that they don’t currently have. Also, since space in Aarhus is limited, it’s good that we can play our part in making efficient use of the city’s spaces and utilising the University Park,” he says.

Prior to being approved by the AU board, the plan for Campus 3.0 was discussed in the local liaison and occupational health and safety committees to collect input on how the plan should be implemented.

From Campus 2.0 to 3.0

Campus 3.0 builds on the decisions made by the AU board for Campus 2.0 in 2019. Here you can get an overview of the main construction projects and relocations. Timescales are provisional and may change as the building projects progress.

Key decisions for Campus 3.0

Activities at Arts are currently spread across campus. As part of Campus 3.0, Arts will consolidate its activities in Nobel Park, Kasernen, Tåsingegade and Trøjborgvej in the southern part of the University City, with a phased relocation phase between 2028 and 2031.
Technical Sciences will consolidate its activities at Katrinebjerg, Gustav Wieds Vej and Kasernen in the years leading up to 2031. Activities that are currently located at Navitas on the waterfront will move into the new premises on Helsingforsgade.
The IT research and teaching departments across Arts and Natural Sciences will be brought together in a new high-rise building on Åbogade at Katrinebjerg in 2029. This high-rise building will be integrated with the existing building complex, where Natural Sciences and Arts are located today, and which Technical Sciences will also move into.
The central administration will move into the University City, the University Park and Kasernen between 2026 and 2028, and the university will terminate its rental agreements in Tåsingegade, the Sahva building and Frederikshus.
The central underground walkway, which connects the University Park and the University City under Ringgade, will be completed in 2025.
A new shared canteen, Spisestedet, along with small café outlets and a Life Science Hub in the University City, will help create a vibrant and stimulating campus environment for students, staff and visitors alike.
Campuses in Emdrup, Herning and Viborg are being developed and upgraded to ensure they remain attractive places for staff and students to work and study. Activities in Emdrup and Herning are moving closer together, and Viborg is being expanded to make room for new degree programmes.

Key decisions for Campus 2.0

Aarhus BSS is moving from Fuglesangs Allé to the northern part of the University City. The building is currently under construction and is expected to be ready for occupancy in 2025 and early 2026.
Enterprise and Innovation, including The Kitchen, will be housed in the former boiler house and laundry of the municipal hospital. AU’s Deep Tech Experimental Hub – Makerspace will be established as part of the partner house in the northern part of the University City. The buildings are currently being renovated and are expected to be ready for occupancy in 2025 and early 2026.
The first phase of Health’s relocation was completed in connection with the inauguration of the Skou Building. The next phrase will follow when the renovation of the Bartholin complex is completed in 2025.
Navitas on the waterfront has been sold, with ownership set to transfer in 2031.
The first of three underground walkways connecting the University Park and the University City has been completed (2022).
Activities in Kalø and Silkeborg have been consolidated on the campus in Aarhus (2022).
The Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics has brought together its activities in the northern part of the University City, which AU IT has also moved into (2020).