Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation as part of its ongoing Bauhaus centenary celebrations the university was initiated by Raumlabor as a continuation and expansion on its previous education experiments such as the Urban School Ruhr Hotel Shabbyshabby and Making Futures at the recent Istanbul Design Biennial. In these cases Raumlabor has taken its playful and process-focused approach to architecture and urban planning to broaden the often-rigid or exclusionary nature of education.

“We know that there are lots of people around in academia that are looking for other ways of dealing with the real world” explains Foerster-Baldenius. “Ways of getting together and finding things out together not only within the campus but also open more to the public.”

Victoria Tomaschko

这种面向公众的方式让漂浮大学具有特定的建筑形式和真正独立的系列空间 。 通过一条满是灰泥的小路 ， 参观者会从一扇小门来到一座金属楼梯上 ， 这里建有俯瞰水渠的露台 ， 让人们首次看到大学结构的真面目 。 再穿过一片番茄土豆菜地 ， 参观者会通过一条滨水步道走近建筑 ， 在充气屋顶的下方设置有100个座位的礼堂 ， 这间礼堂有着独立的浮动式地板 。