On Friday, July 9 at 4 p.m., students from the 4th and 6th semesters of the communication design course at the Münchberg campus of Hof University of Applied Sciences will present their concepts, designs and prototypes for a new forest experience center in Mehlmeisel in the Fichtel Mountains, which is to be realized in the future. This is a cooperative project between Hof University of Applied Sciences and the Bayreuth – Münchberg Office for Food, Agriculture and Forestry and the Bavarian Forestry Administration.
At the beginning of 2019, a comprehensive feasibility study with environment analysis for the establishment of a forest experience center of the Bavarian Forestry Administration delivered a positive result for the location. Students at Hof University of Applied Sciences now had the task of developing ideas for the construction project
“In our exhibition of designs, the fascinating habitat – the Fichtelgebirge – with its special flora and fauna in the forest, our most valuable climate protector, is to be presented,” reports Prof. Claudia Siegel, who heads the project together with Prof. Michael Zöllner
“During the summer semester, our students developed an overall spatial concept as well as digital and analog exhibits that allow a broad target group to experience the topic.”
Prof. Claudia Siegel
The Forest Experience Center Mehlmeisel
The Forest Experience Center will be located in Mehlmeisel – in the middle of the Fichtelgebirge mountains – at an altitude of about 800 meters in a nature reserve. With its numerous hiking trails and its particularly large variety of animals and plants, it is a popular excursion and travel destination. Here, with a bit of luck, you can discover rare flower species such as the seven-pointed star or the arnica, or even see a lynx roaming through the green thicket.
Interplay between technology and nature
With their designs, the students cordially invite visitors to immerse themselves in the living world of the forest and to be inspired by the unique themes and exhibition stations. A special feature is the harmonious interplay between direct encounters with nature and state-of-the-art technology
On the one hand, information is conveyed by means of machine learning or augmented and virtual reality. On the other hand, however, the technology is noticeably restrained by the principle of Shytech and places the information and thus nature in the foreground.”
Prof. Michael Zöllner
Nature made tangible
The exhibition aims to make the laws of nature and new experiences tangible. For example, one gets to know a badger’s den from the inside or learns how the forest is managed. Visitors can also embark on a journey through time of the tree from seedling to deadwood. Gesture control brings the native bird world to life. Exciting animations and innovative technology also make it possible to observe hidden places of action, such as the inhabitants of a biotope tree or the anatomy of various animals.
Participation in the presentation
The presentation of the designs gets underway, during which university president Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Lehmann will speak a greeting, on July 9, 2021 at 4 p.m. in Zoom at this link….
