Max-Planck-Institut, Hamburg

The Max-Planck-Gesellschaft has built a new institute building for the study of the “structure and dynamics of matter”, on the Bahrenfeld campus in Hamburg, near the DESY particle accelerator centre. The building houses physics laboratories in which high-precision laser testing will be carried out; a computer centre meeting the requirements of theoretical physics; biochemical laboratories; and work and communication areas for the scientists. The open foyer represents, in the design by the Stuttgart architectural firm Hammes Krause Architekten, the connecting element of the individual functions, offering space for communication and exchange of information and ideas. As a pilot project for the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, the institute building is to be certified according to the criteria of the BNB seal.