From competition to actual planning
The newbuild is geared toward creating state-of-the-art conditions for research, giving the Poppelsdorf Campus a clear spatial structure and fostering interdisciplinary dialogue. It will therefore bring together all the various institutes of the Biology Department, which are currently spread all over the city, at a single site. The winning design, which is now being transformed into a construction-ready plan, impressed the competition panel with its precise positioning in an urban development context, its functionally well-thought-out spatial ideas and an architecture that supports research, teaching and interaction in equal measure. “The new ImBIG building is an important component in the continued development of Poppelsdorf Campus,” says Michael Neuß, BLB NRW’s technical branch manager in Cologne. “It will bring order to the site, strengthen existing links and ensure a sound environment for excellent research.”
Rector Professor Michael Hoch adds: “The new building for the Institute of Molecular Biology represents a targeted investment in the future of our Poppelsdorf Campus, an investment in infrastructure that supports excellent research and teaching while facilitating interdisciplinary dialogue. Just as important to us is the fact that this building has been designed from the outset with sustainability in mind—it’ll be energy- and resource-efficient and resilient in the face of climate change.”
An open and sustainable part of campus
The new building will form an open and interconnecting component of the existing campus structure from an urban development perspective. The compact, four-story building will feature a spacious inner courtyard in its center that will serve as a meeting point and “green heart.” The newbuild will open out onto the main campus square with a distinct main entrance and will help improve the quality of the public space.
The design has also nailed its colors firmly to the sustainability mast: green roofs and climate-resilient outdoor installations will absorb rainwater in line with the “sponge city” principle, store it and allow it to evaporate again. This will mean less rainwater entering the sewer system, thus improving protection against heavy rainfall while cushioning the impact of dry spells. Rather than being viewed merely as an add-on in the plans for the newbuild, sustainability is considered an integral part of an adaptable research building set for a long useful life.
