Practice: Merck Innovation Center Developing a New Typology
The Merck Innovation Center is the new focus of the One Global Headquarters on the Technology Campus in Darmstadt. The building is set back facing the street, thus generating the space for a public square. The orthogonal shape of the architectural volume is derived from the context, simultaneously acting as a contrast to the animation of the building’s inner workings and its continuously flowing spatial structure. Bridge-like connections diagonally span the space between the oval cores, linking the individual workspaces with each other. Steps, ramps and floor areas spiral upwards. The routes between one work group and another, from one level to the next, are accomplished almost imperceptibly: The building does not need doors any more, it is open to everyone. The inter-crossing bridges, which densify the centre point of the building and diminish the spatial height of 6 m to 3 m, appear to float. The building loads are absorbed by supports along the facade and a mere four interior columns.
