TU Berlin Chemical Invention Factory

The three-storey, irregular pentagon of the Chemical Invention Factory (CIF) is clearly oriented towards Marchstraße and marks an important entrance to the northern campus of the Technical University of Berlin at the junction with Guerickestraße. The innovative timber construction and intensively greened façade convey the CIF's special research programme to the urban space, making ‘green chemistry’ visible from the outside.
The new CIF marks an existing but rather hidden access point to the North Campus. The newly created viewing axes and pathways guide the flow of students from the large-scale institute building on the west side of Marchstraße, MAR, and from Guerickestraße to the green centre of the campus and the recreational facilities available here for students and staff.

The three-storey new building follows the course of Marchstraße to the west and takes up the orientation of the institute buildings to the east and south. The result is a well-proportioned solitary building that at the same time fits into the context of the heterogeneous development on Marchstraße. The different orientations of the building edges of the pentagon create an irregular and exciting 3-storey atrium.
A single flight of open stairs connects all floors, creating a shared interior space for all researchers. This provides ideal conditions for the intended communication and thus for innovative research and work.

The façade of the Chemical Invention Factory is to be covered with wild wine, which will give the building different colours depending on the season. For this purpose, a trellis made of larch wood profiles measuring 5.0 x 15.0 cm will be attached to the outer edges of the escape balconies. The profiles have a centre distance of 125 cm. Arranged between them are vertical steel cables spaced 62.5 cm apart, which serve as climbing support for the plants.