Laying of the foundation stone: New building at the Max Planck Institute in Plön officially started

March 08, 2022

The foundation work on the shore of the Schöhsee has been completed. Today's laying of the foundation stone is now the official start of construction for the new building of the research institute in Plön.

It was a feat of strength for all the staff of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, but also for the neighbourhood in the adjacent streets in Plön - in the past months, the foundation work in August-Thienemann-Straße was successfully completed in an elaborate construction process. In the meantime, an imposing excavation pit can be seen, which gives an idea of the dimensions the new research building will have. Already in March last year, demolition work began on the parts of the building that were getting on in years and no longer met today's requirements, in order to make room for a new institute with modern equipment.


 "We are delighted that the starting signal for the new building has now been given today. This long-awaited and much-needed building will not only provide state-of-the-art infrastructure, but will also be a facility that is central to our international competitiveness. Likewise, with its design and exterior, it will also be of great significance to the town of Plön," says Prof. Dr. Paul Rainey, Managing Director at the Max Planck Institute in Plön (MPI). So today's laying of the foundation stone represents the official start of construction. Little by little, what was previously only visible on paper and in graphic representations is now becoming visible.


In addition to the directors and other representatives of the MPI in Plön, the Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Günther, was also present. He supports the plan to equip the science location Plön, which has now existed for 130 years, for the future and to expand it further. After all, the Max Planck Institute is one of the largest employers in Plön and also puts the district town on the world map of leading research institutions. 


The new building will offer a total of around 2800 square metres of pure floor space. Of this, 600 square metres alone are planned for new laboratories. In addition to new offices, a new cafeteria and rooms for infrastructure, there will be a new lecture hall that will seat about 150 listeners. So there will be plenty of room for teaching and public lectures.


The Institute's new main entrance will be in its old location on August-Thienemann-Strasse. It is planned to move into the new building in 2024, and the renovation work on the old parts of the building should be completed by the end of 2025. The sum invested by the Max Planck Society for the entire work amounts to around 28 million euros. The construction planning and façade design is being carried out by MHB Architekten & Ingenieure from Rostock.

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