The Humboldt-University Berlin wanted to create a new website to showcase its excellence initiative programs and reflect the university's questioning and exploratory nature. They chose to use the Volto CMS to build the site because Volto supports rich media content like images, video, audio and blogs, allows for multilingual and accessible content, and ensures fast loading times. The speaker discussed their process of answering questions, editing requirements, and using Volto's capabilities to break new ground with the university's new excellence website.