Research Hub
Helmholtz Quantum Center Plus
Researching between the forest and the meadow: Jülich Research Center is the home to a new national research hub for quantum technologies and computing. Communicative workspaces and well-thought-out outdoor spaces provide the ideal environment for interdisciplinary top-level research on an international scale.
Jülich Research Center organized an invited realization competition for the construction of a new state-of-the-art technical laboratory, the “Helmholtz Quantum Center Plus”. The comprehensive concept for the open spaces sensitively connects the “workplace” with the “natural environment” and creates areas of meadow, forest, and water that offer a range of diverse spaces for relaxing, thinking, and working.
Research in a green frame
As the research campus is located in an area of natural protection, it was necessary to draw up a comprehensive concept for the open spaces. The design team paid close attention to sensitively connecting the workspaces with the natural environment: For example, areas of meadow and woodland offer a wide range of possibilities for taking a stroll on “teaching paths”, the seating steps and the wooden piers that overlook the pools of water invite passersby to relax or investigate the biodiversity, and the roof garden of the HQC+ is a place of retreat for intensive work.
Energy-efficient technology
The core elements of the building services concept include the use of regenerative energies and energy recycling. All energy flows are interconnected and all energy needs are met by geothermal and photovoltaic systems. Extract air and energy recovered from the refrigeration plant support the heating system. Further measures that reduce energy demand include the compact building form, the highly-insulated building envelope, and connections that minimize the formation of cold bridges.
A building for science
The HQC+ brings together everything required by a leading global scientific competence center, including high-tech laboratories designed to meet a range of requirements and modern workspaces with communication and concentration zones, all under one roof. The heart of the quadratic new building is an imposing hall that rises up to second floor level. This is a place for interdisciplinary meeting and communication, from where the various laboratory and research areas can be reached in just a few steps.
The façade adopts the “rectangular structure” of the courtyard and is broken down by dark aluminum frames. The combination of these frames with large areas of glass creates a dramatic visual contrast with the surrounding natural landscape.
