Foundation stone laid for the Opticum Research Building
The foundation stone for the Opticum Research Building, an interdisciplinary research center for Leibniz University Hannover, was laid on 15 April at the Science Park site located in the urban district of Marienwerder. HENN’s design emerged as the winner of a tender procedure (VgV) in 2020 and the completion is planned for 2026.
Around 120 researchers and lecturers from the fields of physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, mathematics, computer science, and chemistry will collaborate on the future of optical technologies, such as those used in smartphone cameras, online streaming via optical fiber, or 3D medical imaging.
Research involving laser beams and high-precision equipment requires a resilient and safe environment. In addition to the use of solid materials, the design utilizes the topography of the site for this purpose: the majority of laboratories are located on the ground floor, which is largely integrated into a newly created hill, providing natural protection.
Employees, students, and visitors enter the Opticum through a spacious lobby designed as a communication hub, promoting professional and social interaction by providing a central place for everyone to meet.
A full height window allows visitors to look into the experimental hall and watch research in progress. The centerpiece of the new design is a central courtyard planted with trees and shrubs, which visually connects all office areas on the upper floors.
The Opticum creates space for innovation and synergies in highly specialized fields of interdisciplinary research. It will become an important building block of the international research network developing and improving the key technologies for tomorrow’s digital world.
Marcus Fissan, the partner at the architecture firm HENN responsible for the project, explains, “In these 4000 square meters spaces are being created that are essential for research, exchange, and communication – the basis for innovation. This innovation is of enormous importance to us all."
Prof. Dr. Uwe Morgner, spokesperson for the PhoenixD Cluster of Excellence at the Institute of Quantum Optics, explains, "In the new optics campus with the Opticum, the Laser Zentrum Hannover, and many small and large companies based here, we are creating first-class research conditions through maximizing synergy and shortening distances. In the increasingly fierce competition for students and the world's best scientists, this makes us one of the most important photonics centers in Europe."
