In 2005, I was notified that the building in which I had my office was due to be remodelled the following year. I feared that there would be a lot of noise and dirt in a period I had planned to be a period of research. That did not happen. No construction workers showed up in 2006. I left HiG, took a position with industry, completed my Ph.D., entered HiG again, and finally in 2013 remodelling of the building started. Some of the more senior colleagues told stories about them being warned when they started that the building would be remodelled „soon“. We joked that after such a long pretext it would take ages to finish the project. We were wrong. Construction was completed as scheduled.
Earlier this month, I could take a first peek at my old office. It looks nice with the walls removed, the new windows, and fresh paint. But it is not my office anymore. Our NISlab group will move to a different part of the building.
The new office assigned to me is wider and longer than the old one. The view of the lake is going to be different – and is currently blocked by barracks erected for the construction crews. It looks good. And the surroundings are amazing, the adjacent offices, the shared spaces, the atrium, the new group rooms for the students. I look forward to moving back into the building where it all began.