German Textile Education Advances: Cold Competence Center in Reichenbach and Graduate Thesis Awards at Hochschule Niedrr

The former textile school building in Reichenbach, a protected example of New Objectivity architecture, is being transferred to the Free State of Saxony for the creation of a Cold Competence Center. The partnership, signed in 2019 and involving the Saxon state government and research units from TU Chemnitz, aims to combine advanced refrigeration training with research facilities on the site of the former freight station. Financing the project remains the primary hurdle as municipal budgets are strained.

Separately, the Department of Textile and Clothing Technology at Hochschule Niederrhein honored two graduates for outstanding theses. Nora Torst from Mönchengladbach received the best bachelor's thesis award for her work on the chemical recycling of PET textiles treated with phosphorus‑based flame retardants, exploring the recovery of raw materials and purity of recycled terephthalic acid. Fernanda Katharina Baum from Düsseldorf was recognized for her master’s thesis on the influence of spinning finishes on Lyocell‑algae rotor‑spun yarns, examining process behavior and yarn strength. Both awards include €1,500 prize money supplied by the Association of the Rhenish Textile and Clothing Industry.