Researching Around a Glazed Hub
Paul Ehrlich Institute
3rd Prize: By organizing a modular building complex around a central hub, the winning scheme facilitated the practical separation of the different functional areas. The project is notable for its high standard of sustainability and generous areas of greenery.
The Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines lacks urgently needed room for expansion at its current premises in Langen. As it can only continue to operate with the help of complex maintenance measures, it is planned to build a new facility in the immediate neighborhood. Our response to this challenge was to design a modern complex that meets the requirement for a clear separation between public and non-public zones and offers users extensive areas of greenery.
Holistic sustainability strategy
With a view to the cost-effectiveness and efficient use of the building, the layout favors short distances and the functional organization of the office and laboratory areas. It also offers good views, clear orientation, and large amounts of daylight. The structural solution ensures that it will be relatively simple to restructure and adapt the institute in future in line with changing needs.
We have designed a building complex that takes an elegant, urban approach and combines efficiency, functionality, and high sustainability standards.
Paul Ohnmacht
Architect, Head of Design in Innsbruck
The concept is based on lifecycle-oriented principles and offers the best conditions for achieving the desired Silver standard as defined by the Sustainable Building Evaluation System (BNB). The use of low-CO2 building materials and renewable energy/energy recycling ensures that emissions, energy consumption, and maintenance and repair costs are all reduced. The visitor experience is further enhanced by the pleasant microclimate generated by the intensive planting and bright spaces.
Functional modularity
The responsibilities of the Paul Ehrlich Institute include researching, evaluating, and certifying human biomedicines and immunological animal medicines. The concept envisages three to four identically constructed, four-story volumes containing the laboratory and office zones and an area for keeping animals. These are staggered around the glazed hub, which acts as a connector and is home to such publically accessible areas as a library, lecture theater, and cafeteria. Its gently raised, diamond-shaped roof provides a contrast with the homogeneous appearance of the individual building modules. In addition to this, green atria and the design of the external spaces integrate the surrounding nature into the institute.
