House by the Lake
In an idyllic lakeside setting in the leafy Berlin suburb of Zeuthen, DESY is continuously expanding its research in astroparticle physics. A key project involves analyzing the vast amounts of data generated by the international Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory during its observations of high-energy gamma rays. The campus has been expanded to include a new scientific data center with an integrated cafeteria and event space, providing optimal working conditions for the approximately 60 researchers.
The new building consists of a low-rise base and a two-story office wing cantilevered above it. This architectural composition creates a central plaza at the heart of the campus, while simultaneously opening the building purposefully toward its surroundings: toward the new campus lawn, the park area with the guest house, and the shore of Lake Zeuthen. The architecture integrates the lake into the campus and allows it to be experienced as a defining landscape feature.
A striking European beech marks the entrance to the new building on the newly created plaza. All functions of the building are directly accessible via a shared foyer: the meeting room and cafeteria on the ground floor, and the offices on the two floors above. The workspaces arranged along the long facades are complemented at the ends by spacious communal areas with kitchenettes facing the water, as well as meeting rooms with workshops facing the Ange side.
The building by the lake appears light and transparent. At the base, it opens up to its surroundings with expansive glass facades, while enclosed areas in dark tones form a powerful foundation. Above, a light-colored textile facade structures the two upper floors: the inner window level is overlaid by an outer layer of solid fabric panels and movable fabric sunshade blinds.
Nestled on the campus among trees and the lake, the building is anchored in the landscape yet appears weightless—as if it were merging with the sky and reflecting the vastness of the universe to which its research is dedicated.
