New building for sustainable lightweight construction technologies inaugurated

© Fraunhofer IAP, Photo: Till Budde

Inauguration of the new office and laboratory building of the Fraunhofer IAP at the Wildau location. L to R: Prof. Holger Seidlitz, Fraunhofer IAP / Head of the PYCO Research Department; Prof. Ulrike Tippe, President of TH Wildau; Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft; Steffen Weber, State Secretary MWFK Brandenburg; Prof. Alexander Böker, Head of Fraunhofer IAP. © Fraunhofer IAP, Photo: Till Budde

With the new office and laboratory building of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP at the Wildau site, a unique center for sustainable and holistic lightweight construction technologies has been created on an area of 2,700 square meters. The construction costs amounted to 20.5 million euros. The total funding of 19.4 million euros was financed 80 percent from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and ten percent each from the federal government and the state of Brandenburg. The new building was officially inaugurated on May 25, 2022.

In the new office and laboratory building, which was planned and realized by the architectural firm Burckhardt+Partner, energy-efficient and sustainable lightweight construction systems and materials are developed to meet the high demands of aerospace, energy technology, and automotive engineering. For this purpose, the research area Polymer Materials and Composites PYCO combines materials and engineering sciences along the entire value chain in a unique way.

Brandenburg's State Secretary for Research, Steffen Weber, said: "Recyclable wind turbines or sustainable composites for aerospace are just a few examples of efficient next-generation lightweight structures. For the energy transition and the achievement of climate goals, lightweight construction is an essential component. With the new office and laboratory building, Fraunhofer IAP can work even more effectively, targeted, and customer-oriented on solutions for the future. And the new building is also a strong signal for Lusatia: The collaboration of PYCO in Wildau with Brandenburg Technical University and Fraunhofer institutions in Cottbus provides important impulses in Lusatia to successfully shape structural change and to transfer technologies from research directly into application. This demonstrates impressively that Brandenburg is the land of bioeconomy and sustainability research."

Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, said: "Numerous industries face the challenge of producing more sustainably and resource-efficiently while increasing the performance and resilience of the materials and construction methods used. Accordingly, innovations in the field of materials research are of essential importance," says Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. "With the inauguration of the new laboratory and office buildings of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP today, we have achieved a milestone. Through the research capacities created, we are driving the transformation of the region into an ecosystem for lightweight applications—with innovative material combinations as a driving force. I am convinced that our commitment is a decisive step for Brandenburg and all of Germany to position itself excellently in this key technology area in the international competition."

"Our regional and supraregional partners from industry and research benefit greatly from the bundling of our lightweight construction expertise under one roof and state-of-the-art technology, as they receive comprehensive system solutions for their lightweight applications from a single source—from polymer development and processing to innovative manufacturing technologies for high-performance components to forward-looking optimization strategies and recycling concepts," explained Prof. Holger Seidlitz, Head of the PYCO research area.

Institute Director Prof. Alexander Böker added: "The new building has created an ideal foundation for developing new solutions to challenging future topics. These include, for example, megatrends such as digitalization and the biologization of technology, as well as the energy transition and especially the challenges of establishing a comprehensive hydrogen economy. We thank everyone who contributed to the success of this important construction project."

Until 2020, the PYCO working groups on synthesis, resin formulation, and component manufacturing were spread across two different locations: the traditional site in Teltow, which belonged to the Institute for Fiber Material Research of the Academy of Sciences during the GDR era, and the Wildau site. Now, they are united under one roof in Wildau. The modern building is equipped not only with the latest technology but also offers excellent conditions for interdisciplinary collaboration for numerous researchers.

Gunnar Rekersdrees, Project Lead Architect at Burckhardt+Partner, explained: "The building volume, constructed on the tightest plot conditions, reflects the research tasks of the institute in its appearance. The theme of material layering is artistically referenced in the facades as a focus of the institute's research work. The horizontal structure of the building shell deliberately conveys the research content outward and simultaneously reflects the various functions of the PYCO research area."

With the compact structure of the new building, flexibility and forward-looking adaptability have been achieved to keep the institute's further development as open as possible spatially.