When I first caught sight of the Biomedical Research Center by Behles & Jochimsen Architects, I was immediately reminded of the rainbow burst of color that has flooded the architectural scene as of late: I was reminded of Haas&Hahn’s painted facades in Rio, the multi-hued, inside-out Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the endless projects hailing from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and beyond that panel their facades with delightful, cadenced permutations of ROYGBV. Click to see more.

Though the 32 shades of scaled aluminum frames are a defining attribute of Behles & Jochimsen’s design, another striking feature of this university research facility is its sprawling “five-fingered” plan, which instantly brought to mind a historic predecessor in German architecture: Walter Gropius’ Bauhaus Building in Dessau (1925-1926).

[Photo via PinkManhattan]

Built to house the famed Bauhaus design school, the Bauhaus Building was conspicuously absent of color and renowned for its pure functionality. Gropius’ three-winged “propeller” plan separated the parts of the building according to their distinct functions, resulting in a complex, asymmetrical, yet efficiently interconnected assemblage of spaces, all neatly boxed and wrapped in a glazed façade.

[Image via Follow the Creative Path]

While Gropius sought to distill his building into a purely functional object, crystallizing an ideal circulation of people and processes within the legible spaces of the Bauhaus Building, Behles & Jochimsen conceived of their contemporary multi-winged plan as a form for flexibility and emotive expression, quite contrary to the principles of the Bauhaus.

The colorful, curving façade produces a varied spatial experience as one circumambulates the building. The scaled articulation of the volume breaks up the exterior, mediating the scale of the building to suit the neighboring structures.

Inside, a layer of laboratories and offices run parallel to the façade, wrapping around an inner zone that can be used to house dark rooms and technical appliances. The layout can easily adapt to future changes, as spaces are deliberately interspersed and interchangeable. Boundaries can likewise be easily adjusted so that individual units can grow or shrink as needed.

The hallways, stairwells and other communicative zones show a marvelous interplay of free form space and rational order. With crisscrossing aluminum bridges, walls swathed in continuous color, and stairwells delineated by sharp angles and winding curves, the interior of the research center is a spectacular collation of forms and colors. Both industrial and otherworldly, this building can be navigated, experienced, and repurposed in multiple new ways, much in keeping with the spirit of scientific research.

[Photos and plans courtesy of the architects, photo credit: Marcus Bredt]

by Kelly Chan

posted in Uncategorized

tagged Architecture, bauhaus, Centre Pompidou, color, Fantasy, germany, Giessen, gropius, haas&hahn, imaginarium, rainbow, research center, research facility, sauerbruch hutton, walter gropius

more articles by Kelly Chan