The design aims to contribute to the public discourse on the value of research and trust in science, while emphasizing the importance of the ocean in the context of climate change.

The new district is conceived for research on small cetaceans. The present design expands this program and additionally provides space for seagrass research.

In order to bring this largely unknown biotope closer to the public and to highlight the importance of seagrass for marine ecosystems, a seagrass path weaves through the entire design as a “green thread,” linking with cetacean research to form a complex marine research quarter.

The urban fabric of Stralsund is typically characterized by numerous vertical landmarks. The new district adds further high points to this silhouette: the main building, visible from the harbor; the library on the city side; and—forming the central vertical element of the ensemble—the “Factory,” which marks the core of the development and introduces a new urban signifier.

For the research quarter, the striking brick buildings “Silo 4” and “Silo 5,” as well as additional existing structures, are preserved, repurposed, and complemented by new buildings to form a coherent urban ensemble.

The district is interwoven by a seagrass watercourse that runs from the harbor promenade to the canal, acting as a continuous spatial element connecting all publicly accessible programmatic nodes. This otherwise invisible seagrass is made visible, thereby communicating its ecological relevance. Together with footpaths on both sides and several small bridges, the watercourse forms the public spine of the quarter.

The design closes the spatial gap within Quarter 65 in Stralsund and complements the existing block structure through a clear urban intervention. Height, building lines, and volumetric composition respond to the surrounding context and define a precise spatial edge between the harbor and the historic city center.

The building consists of two diagonally arranged volumes and a cylindrical core. This configuration follows a functional differentiation. The volume oriented toward the water accommodates public uses such as exhibition and mediation, responding to the openness of the harbor front. The inward-facing volume contains research and office spaces in a more protected atmosphere. This results in a clear zoning while maintaining spatial connectivity.

Silo IV is activated as a publicly accessible collection space and integrated into the visitor circulation. Silo V serves as technical infrastructure as well as a non-public research collection. New construction and existing structures are structurally linked via the central space.

The cylindrical hall forms the spatial core of the building. It functions as a foyer and vertical distribution hub. A continuous ramp organizes circulation through the building and connects the different levels of public access and research.

Between the diagonal volumes, a covered courtyard emerges as a central entrance and meeting space. It mediates between the city and the building interior and strengthens the public identity of the research center.

From granary to marine research centre
Transformation through continuation: Marine Research Centre Stralsund

Context & design approach
The historic granaries along the northern harbour edge of Stralsund form part of the architectural heritage of the Hanseatic city and represent a valuable built resource of embodied grey energy. The project treats this existing fabric consistently as its foundation: not tabula rasa, but deliberate continuation defines the design attitude.

Spatial structure
A compact bar-shaped new building complements the existing Granary IV, and together with the historic structures forms a U-shaped ensemble with a sheltered working courtyard at its centre. The guiding concept is a research promenade that opens the campus towards the city and offers carefully framed views into workshops and laboratories — making scientific work directly visible at the harbourfront.

Public programme
The northern building section is gradually transformed into a publicly accessible part of the campus — accommodating dining facilities and flexible residential space for researchers, as well as a historic granary repurposed as a cultural and museum venue with a functional connection to the Ozeaneum.

New building — interior organisation
The foyer, exhibition space, auditorium and library face the harbour promenade, forming the public address of the centre. The brick paving of the promenade continues seamlessly into the interior. A red-pigmented, sculptural exposed-concrete staircase connects the levels and constitutes the spatial centrepiece of the foyer. The functional counterpoint is provided by the scientific core: preparation areas on the ground floor, laboratories on the first floor and offices on the second — all oriented towards the sheltered working courtyard.

From the Harbor to Knowledge

The aim of the design is to create a building that spatially and programmatically connects research and the public. The site is located on a former parking lot between two warehouse buildings that define the urban character of the area, framed by the harbor, promenade, and canal. The architectural concept enhances the site by bringing together marine research and public functions, while sensitively integrating the historic context.

The main building on the harbor side completes the promenade without appearing overly dominant. In addition to office spaces for researchers, it accommodates a public foyer, a specialist library, event spaces, and a multi-story dry collection. Circulation is organized via lateral stair and elevator cores. The north façade is largely closed to protect the collection, while daylight is introduced through skylights. The south façade opens generously and is supplemented by a secondary envelope that functions as an environmental buffer zone.

Structurally, the building is conceived as a hybrid construction of timber and rammed earth, stabilized by concrete cores. The rammed earth walls act as thermal mass, regulating the indoor climate. A linear volume positioned to the south accommodates the functional research areas and separates them from the public courtyard. A gantry crane enables access across all levels. The courtyard connects the harbor and canal sides, forming a public space that fosters dialogue between society and marine research.

The design addresses the redevelopment of Quarter 65 directly at the harbor of Stralsund. The harbor landscape, characterized by numerous standalone historic buildings and red brick warehouses, is a well-known postcard motif of the city. The existing block within the site is currently used solely as a visitor parking lot.

The new research center is accessible both from the city and from the harbor promenade, thereby promoting permeability through the site. The building mass connects the historic city center with the harbor and forms a courtyard that invites public engagement with research activities.

The building is organized into three parts: a head volume dedicated to the collection and storage of exhibits, a central section housing research and preparation facilities, and a harbor-facing head that accommodates public functions such as an event hall, exhibition spaces, and a library. This clear organizational structure enables uninterrupted processes within the linear building.

On the ground floor, a café, foyer, workshop, and delivery areas are located. Visitors are guided toward the entrance by a recessed façade and a distinctive paving pattern. A prominent spiral staircase provides access to the publicly accessible levels and offers views of the harbor and the sea.

The façade is designed as a delicate post-and-beam construction to ensure optimal daylight conditions, while the collection areas are deliberately windowless. A secondary textile envelope protects the building from coastal winds, solar radiation, and provides visual screening. It reflects the building’s structural grid and gives the project a distinctive, unified appearance with strong recognizability.

Independent research is an essential component of a democratic society. To strengthen both research and society, I expanded the spatial program to include residential use, creating a coherent synergy between the existing buildings and the new structure: a place for education, development, and exchange.

In terms of urban planning, this new building is positioned between the two largest existing buildings Silo 4 + 5 as a clear structuring and connecting element. The standalone building is deliberately set back from the existing structures to give them space and create a complementary silhouette along the promenade. The walkability of the new building symbolizes the necessary transparency of research at the new institute.

A designated area for visitors and researchers is established on both the promenade side and the canal side. The site is divided into two circulation zones: north of the new building for researchers, featuring a workshop and the main access to the research area; and south of the building, the circulation axis for visitors, which connects to the inner courtyard—an open space for events in conjunction with outdoor exhibitions and a quieter lounge area.

Silo 4 (Slide 3, left) houses the collection, as well as ancillary rooms and workspaces.

Silo 5 (Slide 4, right), located to the north, comprises the conference center, the “House of Exchange” on the ground floor, and residential units for short-, medium-, and long-term stays on the upper floors, complemented by common areas and workspaces. Connecting everything in the center: the new building with public spaces in the front section (Slide 2) and functional research spaces (Slide 1) on the two upper floors.

Independent research is an essential component of a democratic society. To strengthen both research and society, I expanded the spatial program to include residential use, creating a coherent synergy between the existing buildings and the new structure: a place for education, development, and exchange.

In terms of urban planning, this new building is positioned between the two largest existing buildings Silo 4 + 5 as a clear structuring and connecting element. The standalone building is deliberately set back from the existing structures to give them space and create a complementary silhouette along the promenade. The walkability of the new building symbolizes the necessary transparency of research at the new institute.

A designated area for visitors and researchers is established on both the promenade side and the canal side. The site is divided into two circulation zones: north of the new building for researchers, featuring a workshop and the main access to the research area; and south of the building, the circulation axis for visitors, which connects to the inner courtyard—an open space for events in conjunction with outdoor exhibitions and a quieter lounge area.

Silo 4 (Slide 3, left) houses the collection, as well as ancillary rooms and workspaces.

Silo 5 (Slide 4, right), located to the north, comprises the conference center, the “House of Exchange” on the ground floor, and residential units for short-, medium-, and long-term stays on the upper floors, complemented by common areas and workspaces. Connecting everything in the center: the new building with public spaces in the front section (Slide 2) and functional research spaces (Slide 1) on the two upper floors.

The design addresses the question of how marine research can be made more visible and more strongly connected to society. The starting point is the Hafeninsel in Stralsund, a site between the historic city center and the sea, shaped by layered historical conditions and existing structures. Instead of a standalone intervention, the quarter is developed as a coherent system in which existing buildings and new additions are interwoven.

A central spatial and functional axis connects all institutes while simultaneously organizing visitor circulation. Along this axis, a sequence of different spatial situations unfolds—from exhibition spaces and visitor laboratories to areas for exchange between the research institutions.

The research buildings themselves follow a clear structural logic consisting of a compact concrete core and flexible steel-frame zones, allowing for future adaptation to changing requirements.

The visitor route begins in the historic city center at a city pavilion, acting as an interface between the public and research. Through a carefully staged spatial sequence, insights into scientific processes are made accessible, while at the same time the ecological challenges of the oceans are translated into an emotional spatial experience. Topics such as sustainable cycles or marine habitats are spatially interpreted and directly linked to ongoing research.

Existing buildings are additionally reused and integrated, resulting in a multi-layered ensemble of research, housing, public space, and infrastructure.

The design understands architecture as a mediating instrument that makes science accessible and renders responsibility spatially visible. It is not only a research campus but a spatial framework of mediation between science, city, and sea. The protection of the oceans does not begin in open water, but here—through the way we build, research, and embed responsibility in architecture.

The building integrates into the heterogeneous block through its varied volumes. The dual-sided circulation enables an uninterrupted working environment while ensuring an appropriate presence along the prominent seafront promenade, which is representative of Stralsund.

Researchers enter the lower, more horizontal research volume from the canal-side boat landing, bringing in findings from field excursions. These are processed sequentially through a series of spaces—washed, cooled, or transferred into aquariums—or further examined and prepared on the first floor before being stored in the adjacent existing silo.

The public enters the glazed head building from the promenade side. This volume is characterized by open and flexible floor plans, forming a counterpart to the monofunctional and enclosed silo, which continues to serve its original function as storage for research collections. From the first floor upward, the tall spaces accommodate exhibits ranging from small to large scale; non-structural walls are removed, while the remaining silo structure provides bracing and preserves the spatial character.

The detached courtyard pavilion extends the workshop program, accommodating noisy and heavy-duty processes as well as participatory activities, thereby activating the courtyard as a lively public space.

The marine research center makes use of conditions typical of the Baltic Sea region: aquariums are supplied with fresh canal water. An elevated stratified thermal storage system captures waste heat from building services and regulates the indoor climate, while in summer the building is cooled via an outdoor air system utilizing Baltic Sea winds. A distinction between heated and unheated zones further reduces the high energy demand of research activities.

“The oceans are the lungs of the planet” – starting from this idea, the design engages with a coastal environment in which the consequences of ecological change are already clearly visible today. Warming, acidification, and excessive nutrient loading are profoundly transforming marine ecosystems. In Stralsund in particular, one of Europe’s most sensitive coastal regions, these processes become distinctly apparent.

The design responds with a research institute dedicated to micro- and macroalgae, sediments, and carbon cycles. Architecture is understood not merely as a container for research, but as an active component of the system itself.

The central idea is that research does not take place in static rooms, but within biological, technical, and energetic processes. This leads to the concept of a research institute as a living organism, whose buildings function like organs, performing roles that in the sea are fulfilled by algae and microorganisms.

The site is understood as an archipelago. New building volumes anchor themselves within the existing structures, dock onto them in a parasitic manner, or grow out of them. This creates a spatial gradient from the city toward the sea. The elements are connected by technical seams that integrate circulation, structure, and service infrastructure.

The institute is organized into three components: the filter, the mediator, and the storage. Together, they form a spatial process chain in which material, energy, and knowledge flows are organized and made visible.

Architecture thus does not become a neutral envelope, but an active carrier, mediator, and co-creator of ecological research.

The concept for the new marine biology research center in Stralsund is based on a campus structure that allows visitors to gain insight into ongoing research. The site on the harbor island is organized into distinct zones that ensure efficient research operations while also creating an interface between science and the public.

The four building components each serve specific functions. Staff access is provided from the canal side, where the workshop building with storage areas and delivery zones is located. Research equipment can be transported directly from the landing stage into the multifunctional workshop and storage hall. The centrally located workshop courtyard connects the workshop hall with the surrounding research spaces at ground level. The adjoining plinth zone accommodates all additional research-related functions, such as aquarium facilities, workspaces, laboratories, and cold storage rooms. Offices for staff are located directly above the aquarium area to ensure quick response times and short circulation routes.

Public access is organized from the harbor promenade. A wide staircase with stepped seating forms the entrance to the visitor terrace, offering views into the workshop courtyard. From here, the main building is accessed, which houses the collection, auditorium, library, teaching spaces, and participatory workshop areas. A central freight elevator connects the research areas with the collection spaces. Here, research and public engagement intersect.