Headquarters of the Max-Planck-Society

Simone Jeska

Description

The new headquarters in Munich is the result of the Max Planck Society’s decision not to move its administrative headquarters to Berlin, where the society’s predecessor was founded in 1911.

The plan of the new building, consisting of two U-shaped forms, one smaller placed within the U of the other, and rotated so that they interlock, was determined by the urban context. The historically and architectonically important surroundings, with the adjacent 16th-century palace occupied until the 19th century and Leo von Klenze’s “Marstall,” the royal stables (1822), form the parameters for the new administrative headquarters. The U-shaped ground plan rearranges the stable grounds; the palace garden (“Hofgarten”) to the north, the “Marstallplatz” (the stable courtyard) to the south and the small square in front of the east wing of the palace acquire spatial closure.

The turning of the built volumes compliments the differing orientations of the palace and the stables, which the new building adopts as a connecting member. This axial shift is perceptible inside the building from the triangular plans of the multi-storey halls. As the entrance, the six-storey north hall sets the tone. Steel walkways, lifts and a straight-flight stairway, perspectivally emphasised by the narrowing of its treads, link the floors and the building halves with each other. From here, staff access their standardised cell-like offices. Small seating areas as meeting points on the walkways offer the opportunity for short, spontaneous conversations. The cafeteria on the ground floor, with its view of the Marstallplatz, is an inviting place for more lengthy sojourns. Grey-glazed concrete walls and the wooden floors and office walls determine the atmosphere of the halls. The spacious, glass-ceilinged rooms create a pleasant contrast to the small-format ‘think cells.’ The interplay of contrasts also sets the theme for the façades. The massive, perforated interior façades inside create an effective contrast to the lightweight glass outer skin of the double-skin façade. This corridor façade serves not only as acoustic insulation, but also functions as a climatic buffer in winter while incorporating the large emergency accesses. Perforated, horizontal profiles supply the façade space with a constant supply of fresh air. Individually controlled window casements in both skins of the façade enable natural ventilation and, supported by a ceiling cooling system, ensure comfortable interior climates.

The positive/negative sculpture of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, placed in front of the entrance of the Max Planck Society, can also be interpreted as a symbol of this new building of optimal energy efficiency, rich in contrasts.