Modular office and laboratory buildings for the Heidelberg Innovation Park (HIP)

Position of the modules for the first construction phase of the laboratory building at Heidelberg Innovation Park (HIP). (Photo: Cadolto Modulbau GmbH)

During the module installation, together with the guests (left to right): Marc Massoth (Head of Economic Development City of Heidelberg), André Domin (Managing Director of Technology Park), Mayor Prof. Dr. Eckart Wü rzner, Kai Dreesbeimdiek (Managing Director of Gustav Zech Foundation Management GmbH), and Johanna Michielin (Country Manager BioLabs) on the construction site for the laboratory building Incubator. (Photo: Cadolto Modulbau GmbH)

The Heidelberg Innovation Park is expanding with a multi-story laboratory building: Cadolto Modulbau GmbH, a company of the Zech Group, received the contract from Gustav Zech Stiftung Management GmbH (GZS) to realize the project using modular construction. After conceptual planning began in August 2021, the first modules of the new building are now being installed in June 2022.

The office and laboratory building extends over five floors and covers a gross floor area of approximately 7,300 m². Additionally, a underground parking garage was constructed in conventional construction by ZECH Bau SE. The new building will house 100 laboratory and office workstations according to the latest technological standards, as well as a technical floor. Furthermore, the building includes spacious conference and assembly rooms.

The planning and construction of the new building are divided into two phases. The first phase consists of 81 modules with a total area of over 3,300 m². The second phase comprises 98 modules with a total of approximately 4,000 m² and will be built at a later date.

Karsten Küssmann, Managing Director of Cadolto Modulbau GmbH: "The new office and laboratory building at Heidelberg Innovation Park is characterized primarily by the fact that the Zech Group, with its comprehensive service portfolio, was able to cover the entire value chain around this property. From complete project development through conception and planning to realization, many areas were within a single corporate group, allowing their broad expertise in creating an office and laboratory building according to the latest standards to be effectively utilized. We are very pleased that Cadolto Modulbau is part of this project and can take on the modular construction."

The office and laboratory building is one of four new constructions in the development project of GZS at Heidelberg Innovation Park and was designed during planning for flexible use. This also allows for easy reconfiguration at later stages and the possibility to adapt laboratory and office spaces to the requirements of different uses as needed.

On the occasion of the installation of the first phase modules, all project participants, including representatives of the City of Heidelberg, Heidelberg Economic Development, and GZS, reviewed the current project progress on June 28, 2022, and provided an outlook on further milestones in the future project development.

Isabel Jahrsdörfer, Project Manager at Cadolto Modulbau GmbH: "The installation of modules is always an exciting part of any project because it allows you to see the building taking shape in reality in a very short time. We are very pleased to experience this milestone together with the stakeholders. In a few weeks, all modules of the first phase of the laboratory building will complete the construction on site."

The decisive factor for planning the project with modular construction was primarily the short construction time that this method offers. While, for example, the basement for the underground parking garage was built using conventional construction by ZECH Bau SE, all modules are produced simultaneously in Cadolto's manufacturing halls. This allows individual construction phases, which normally follow one after the other in conventional building, to occur concurrently, saving valuable time in the construction process. Additionally, because the building was required to allow flexible use, modular construction was the ideal choice, as modularity enables this flexibility now and in the future for the office and laboratory building.