Sweco has had close contact with the client throughout the planning and implementation of the project and the client has been receptive to our ideas. We have carefully considered what sustainable materials could be used to help realise the client’s vision.

The second construction phase of the Chemnitz University of Technology MERGE Research Center planned by Sweco’s architects, was completed in October 2020. The three-storey laboratory building nestles against the south facade of the University’s technology center, which was also planned by Sweco.

This new building complex also contains three spacious research halls of the University’s Federal Cluster of Excellence MERGE and completes the campus. As a supplement to the existing buildings, a total of three elongated, cube-shaped structures were erected, designed in a way that they seamlessly blend into the campus structure.

Flexible usage is facilitated by media walls in conjunction with floor ducts. Hall A and Hall C have a clear ceiling height of nearly 10 m and accommodate test and research tracks and an overhead crane. With a clear ceiling height of around 14 m, the single-storey Hall B overtops the other two halls and houses the MERGE machine – the centerpiece of the new build.

The west facade of Hall B is fully glazed and acts as a showcase allowing the MERGE machine to be viewed from the outside. This is in deliberate contrast to the facades of the other halls clad in bronze with anodised aluminium plating. When closed from the exterior, from inside this cladding becomes a transparent membrane thanks to its fine perforations.

A new central entrance is located on the west facade of the laboratory building. Inside, a spacious foyer on two levels welcomes both employees and guests alike.

As part of the third construction phase, there will be additional space for administration and office space, also accessible directly from the foyer.