Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter

There are 86 institutes within the German government-funded Max Planck Society, focusing on research in nature, life and the social sciences. Max Planck scientists have won 30 Nobel Prizes since the society’s founding in 1948.

At Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD), scientists study materials at the atomic level, probing the fundamental rules that govern how matter behaves. For example, founding director Andrea Cavalleri has shown that hitting a piece of metal with the X-ray Free Electron Laser can cause the metal’s electrons to become superconductors, effectively changing it into a new material that can, among other things, conduct electricity without loss. Director Angel Rubio focuses on theoretical solid-state physics and, in particular, the properties of solids and nanostructures, such as nanotubes, nanowires and semiconductor clusters, under the influence of electromagnetic fields.

Later this year, MPSD is set to expand into a new building, one of the first projects on the Science City Hamburg campus. WSP was commissioned to manage the project from the construction phase until it is handed over to the researchers. This was our first collaboration with the Max Planck Society, and its success has developed into an ongoing relationship. 

The new facility totals 12,400m2 square metres and includes physical laser laboratories, a data centre, chemical laboratories, offices and a cafeteria. To support the cutting-edge research happening inside, WSP oversaw compliance with many technical requirements. For example, the physical laser laboratories need to be completely shielded from vibration to operate effectively, explains Andrea Seegers, head of project management at WSP. “We used a foundation of a really thick 1m slab, so the laser won’t be affected by vibrations from the street,” she says. “These facilities cannot tolerate any type of vibration, or the results of the experiments wouldn’t be exact.”

While the building is highly engineered, it was also designed to be a pleasant environment for the hundreds of students, researchers and visiting scientists who walk through the doors of MPSD each day. “The recessed atriums allow the daylight from the skylights to reach the entire building, giving the interior a special character,” says Seegers. “It’s really beautiful.”