Helmholtz Diabetes Center München

The Helmholtz Diabetes Center in Munich is an innovative new building of the Helmholtz Zentrum München. Dedicated to diabetes research, this center marks an important milestone in the development of a Helmholtz Association campus in Munich, where leading scientists work to solve major problems facing society. Prominently located, the new building consists of two rectilinear forms that are connected by a central spine running east to west. Glazed walls usher in natural light, while vertical louvers help mitigate solar gain on the facades with increased sun exposure. Inside, the building has a clear and fluid layout. In the south wing, communication areas are situated along the main spine, with laboratories positioned near a spacious garden courtyard. In the north wing, the spine leads into large, versatile laboratories. The building also contains offices, meeting rooms, and “thinker cells.” All spaces are highly adaptable in order to accommodate new ways of working and the ever-evolving nature of medical research. The aim of the project was to bring diabetes research together in the new Helmholtz Diabetes Campus and to network it structurally in order to accelerate the translation of patient-relevant research results. Strategic Vision According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people with diabetes has nearly quadrupled since 1980 from 108 million in 2016 to approximately 422 million worldwide. In Germany, just under seven million people were affected by this metabolic disorder in 2016. However, the trend continues to grow: every year, up to 500,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus for the first time. Because of these significant incidences, diabetes is one of the widespread, significant common diseases, which require a bundled research in addition to cancer, dementia, infections, diseases of the cardiovascular and lungs. The new building creates an excellent structural, conceptual and architectural framework for the systematic and translational research approach of the institute. Context As part oft he urban-planning concecpt the new HDC adjusts to its location within the campus and improves it by offering basic and clinical research through the close collaboration within the different HDC institutes, as well as the Technical University of Munich and the Ludwig-Maximillian University. The key position of the HDC creates the possibility for many flexible extensions in the future. Design Approach The design takes into account the different wishes and requirements of top researchers by providing the best possible infrastructure for research work as well as the interaction and communication between the scientists of the various institutes and research groups. The offices on all levels of the southern wing of the building are connected to the main spine. These open office landscapes with connected meeting and seminar rooms, thinker cells as well as multi-person and individual offices not only open up the implementation of new agile working methods to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, but also offer space for concentrated work in small groups or alone. Next to a conference room for up to 100 people, which adjoins the entrance atrium, there is a reception area and coworking spaces. Across all levels in the heart of the building along the main spine, an extraordinary communication landscape with a high quality of coworking is created, which is suitable for multifunctional uses, encounters and networking. On the third floor an inviting café with a view on the light flooded main spine is ajoined by a green roof garden. Purposeful Innovation The design of the laboratory landscape was designed with maximum flexibility in order to adapt the available space to innovation cycles, dynamically developing research and organisational units. All installations for laboratories are provided with a media ceiling, enabling rapid adaptation of the laboratory. This goes so far that the laboratory furniture can also be freed of its fixation and flexibly rearranged in the laboratory at any time. Sustainability The building‘s energy concept aims to enable flexible and efficient building operations while at the same time minimizing the use of resources. This is attained by optimizing the overall system originating from the shape of the building and the selection of the material through the organization of the ground plan. A part of the passive sustainability measures are the natural ventilation system and the natural insolation in the laboratories and the work spaces: The façade of the laboratory area is characterized by vertical sun protection elements that give the building a technical and playful diverse aura. The facade of the office area is designed as a double façade consisting of an external steel façade with single glazing and rhythmically arranged ventilation openings. The high windows ensure maximum utilization of daylight.