Technologiezentrum Lüntec

Lünen

After more than seven decades of coal extraction, the Minister Achenbach mine on the north edge of the Lünen-Brambauer district was decommissioned in 1990. Since 1995, the building has been used by the multifunctional Lüntec Technology Centre that focuses on health care, environmental and recycling management as well as on software development.

The facades of this historically significant collection of buildings were retained in their original form. The accounting hall became the assembly room, offices were situated in the pit head baths and the shaft building was refitted as office and work space. The reconstruction work from 1993 to 1995 ended with the completion of a circular office floor, designed by Luigi Colani, which looks like a UFO that has landed on top of the winding tower. The object, nicknamed ’Colani-Ei’ [‘Colani Egg’], is today a landmark and a symbol for the city's structural change. 300 m² of office space is perched at a height of 37 m. The site was developed through the Lüntec-Technologiezentrum Lünen GmbH, a management corporation founded by 11 associates in 1991. Their first move was to site the economic development centre in Lünen, a central contact for entrepreneurial development prospects.

The technology park took shape in 2001 around a start-up centre on the area of the earlier winding engine. New businesses and young enterprises can occupy easily modifiable spaces and take advantage of the comprehensive service and consultation opportunities. Since 2005, the technology centre has housed the Wirtschaftsförderungszentrum Ruhr für Entsorgungs- und Verwertungstechnik [Ruhr Economic Development Centre for Waste Disposal and Reuse], a voluntary initiative of public and private enterprises that promotes recycling and waste disposal measures in the Ruhr area. And 2007 saw the opening of the Business Academy of Applied Science, a school for professional development, advanced training and continued education. At present, the site provides work places for around 300 employees in 58 companies. The neighbouring Im Berge Ost industrial and technology park offers potential for further growth. Plans currently exist to modify the ’Colani-Ei’ creating 600 m² of office space and a conference room for Lüntec tenants in the shaft hall. A supplementary structure for offices is also in the works.