Ulm University has an enviably beautiful site. It and a number of other research institutions have owned the whole of the Eselsberg, a hill to the north-west of the town, for a long time. Building has gone on there since the late sixties, and so it is easy to make out the architectural growth rings. It started with the great hunks of the concrete-happy age, after that there are clear signs of a search for structural elegance, but traditional brick was called upon as well. But the most abrupt change was brought about by Otto Steidle and his Munich office. A big surprise: the buildings are in wood, with glowing colours by Berlin artist Erich Wiesner -- "vibrating with the surroundings" --, in shades between blue and green, yellow and red.And all this is not intended for philosophers or other lofty minds, but for engineers! The architect wanted not least to promote the joy of discovery, and creativity. He knows that people can't be changed by architecture, but they can be stimulated. He did not simply want to confirm the specialists in their specialism, he wanted them not to forget their normal existence as well.The building is large, a good four hundred metres long, with side wings, transverse blocks, courtyards, and everything in a striking urban shape. Functions are clearly ordered horizontally and vertically, cheerfully emphasized by quarters towers. Everything has been thought of, even the fact that frogs like to go a-roaming.After Max Bill's Hochschule fur Gestaltung on the Kuhberg, Richard Meier's Stadthaus by the Munster and his white Daimler-Benz research centre opposite -- in gleaming contrast with the colourful university complex -- Steidle's building is a new special feature for Ulm.Alongside Wolfgang Pehnt, Manfred Sack is probably the most prominent German architecture critic. This is already his third volume in the Opus series. He has indulged his curiosity about wood as a long-forgotten building material once before, in his book Einfache Paradiese. Moderne Hauser aus Holz (Simple paradises. Modern wooden buildings). Verena von Gagern studied architecture in Germany and in the USA but soon turned to photography. Michael Wesely, who studied under Verena von Gagern, has made a considerable impact with his free photography.