Expansion Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law
The construction brief covered not only expanding the institute to include a new build but also structural reorganization of the entire institute. The objective was to create quality spaces that do justice to the different requirements as regards internal and external communications. This took the form firstly of spaces that serve interaction on a large scale and secondly of niches that foster internal communication and enable concentrated work in small groups.
By placing the new build as a standalone opposite the existing building an inviting forecourt was created as a prime urban address. The new build’s façades are clad in a restrained darkbronze anodized aluminum forging an exciting contrast to the old building. The foyer with its large expanses of glass acts as a binding link and functions as the central entrance to the institute.
Within the new build, “external, formal public communication” has been structured like a flexible filter by relying on a large events hall, a conference hall that can be linked to it, and the foyer: Depending on requirements, major events can be held independently, but can, if need be, also include sections of the existing building and the entrance courtyard.
In the existing building, scholarly work has been concentrated qua “internal communication” in around the library and rotunda – places of concentrated interaction, featuring seating niches, a reading lounge and a reading gallery. Meeting rooms, kitchenettes and a roof terrace form vibrant communication venues in the office wings of the existing building.
