Construction work on the new Fraunhofer research building will officially begin with the groundbreaking ceremony. Three research centers and a conference area will be brought together on the Birkhof site under the roof of component V "Personalized Production". The Fraunhofer IPA has been researching this future topic in various organizational units on the opposite site.

"Particularly in saturated markets, as we find them in Europe and in the industrialized world, the individualization and personalization of products will continue to grow in importance. Companies are currently facing the challenge of producing these products economically with new technologies and processes Construction projects enable the state government of Baden-Württemberg, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and Fraunhofer to expand the content and personnel of research at the Fraunhofer IPA in this area, "emphasizes Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister for Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism Baden-Württemberg.

Now the three centers come into one house. "The compact four-storey design with underground parking can provide evidence of the space required on an optimized floor area and conserves the building site as a resource," explains Professor Stephan Birk from Birk Heilmeyer and Frenzel Architects. The main entrance leads conference guests and employees into the representative foyer with atrium and cafeteria. This light-flooded area is followed by a conference room designed for 360 visitors. To the west of the inner courtyard, technical centers and offices are arranged over three floors with galleries. The technical centers and laboratories are used to research and demonstrate production processes. An indoor crane is provided to bring in and move the machines and robots.

Further laboratories of the research centers are located on the second floor. Two technical centers form the upper end. The workplaces of the scientific staff are located around the inner courtyard and on the north and south sides. A part of the upper floor is assigned to each of the three research centers.

The new building is the second construction project by the Fraunhofer IPA on the Birkhof site, both of which follow the urban planning target. In 2018, Birk Heilmeyer and Frenzel Architekten were able to win the procedure for the new building component V, personalized production. Planning began in 2019, and construction will start on schedule in late summer 2021.