laboratory building RKI Berlin

restricted realization competition in two phases 2023

Client: Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR)
Team: Armin Behles, Jenny Dittrich, Jasper Jochimsen, Sebastian Nordmeyer, Anatol Rettberg(PM), Fabian Scholtz
Model: Maquette Berlin

The laboratory building takes up the spatial and material qualities of the existing ensemble and develops them further. Although the new building is directly adjacent to House 5, it appears as an independent structure on the campus. Double-storey air spaces at its outer corners lend the cubic structure sculptural qualities and mediate between it and the two neighboring buildings. These “cutouts” mark the entrance, offer employees green communication and recreation opportunities close to their workplaces and integrate the entrance opening for the basement. Inside the building, a maximum of attractive communication areas is set against minimized circulation areas. The arrangement of the laboratory units around the corner allows people to work together beyond the necessary fire protection boundaries. By dispensing with a basement courtyard and reducing the depth of the building, more green space can be retained on the campus.