28. May 2025

Giving a Second Life to Used Office Desks Giving a Second Life to Used Office Desks

The University of Bonn conserves resources by reusing furniture from the main building

What actually happens to the old furniture from the Main Building, now that it is being fully vacated for pending renovation works? This is a question many University employees are pondering upon. Good news: The office desks, shelves and associated items will not be disposed of—they will remain in use. 

A Second Life for Old Treasures
A Second Life for Old Treasures © Volker Lannert/Universität Bonn
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While preparing for moving out of the Palace, Central Administration checked which furniture items could be taken along to serve as office equipment for new locations, e.g. the Deutscher Herold building. Items deemed not suitable were added to a University-wide marketplace for second-hand furniture via the Facilities Management team. Interest was very high as over 2,100 pieces of furniture were paired with new users. This way we not only save money for disposing of old and buying of new furniture but we also preserve natural resources—entirely in the spirit of sustainability! 

By the way, the idea for giving Main Building furniture a second life reached us via numerous staff emails to the ideas inbox. Do you have a good idea as to how we can make our University more sustainable? Then send it in to the ideas inbox. If you would like to give away for free used furniture, electronics, office equipment or need some items yourself, why not take a look at the Marketplace for second-hand equipment available via the Service Portal? There you can browse various ads for free items, ranging from folders to laboratory benches. 

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