A home for science and family
Apartments with daycare are being built on Göttingen's North Campus—affordable housing for Max Planck researchers and students.
On June 4, Max Planck Foundation officially celebrated the start of construction of its new residential project on Göttingen's North Campus with a ceremonial laying of the foundation stone and time capsule. The five-storey apartment building with 154 residential units should be ready for occupancy as early as 2026. They are primarily intended for employees of the three Max Planck Institutes in Göttingen.
The housing will be complemented by a daycare center with 60 childcare places, including crèche and integration places. "Top Max Planck research needs the best possible framework conditions — and this includes affordable housing and support in balancing family and career," says Roman Franz, Technical Director of the Max Planck Foundation's real estate division and Managing Director of the project company.
Creating freedom
Like some companies in the private sector, the Max Planck Society also relies on its own real estate to counter the tight housing situation, which is a particular challenge for families and young professionals. Thorsten Kleine, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, which is located directly next to the new building, emphasizes: "The apartment building is a great asset for our campus. The rental units and the urgently needed daycare places will noticeably relieve our employees and further strengthen Göttingen's attractiveness as a research location."
The apartments, which measure between 23 and 55 m², are fully furnished and some are barrier-free. They offer space for individuals, shared flats, couples or families. All apartments have a balcony or terrace. There are also communal areas such as lounges, laundry and drying rooms as well as outdoor and bicycle parking spaces. A photovoltaic system generates the electricity for heating and the heat pump.
The project costs of around 25 million euros are being borne entirely by the Max Planck Foundation. The foundation was established 19 years ago by the entrepreneur and publisher Stefan von Holtzbrinck and the lawyer and manager Reinhard Pöllath. With an endowment capital of around 725 million euros, it is now one of the largest privately financed science-promoting foundations in Germany. Grants and large donations from committed sponsors make it possible to support the 84 institutes and research facilities of the Max Planck Society when public funding reaches its limits.
In addition to the new building in Göttingen, further projects are being planned. In Garching near Munich and in Heidelberg, similar housing complexes are to be built for researchers, trainees and students. There are already 34 apartments in Munich city center that are used by researchers from the Max Planck Schools.
A former disco becomes a research facility
The Foundation is also active outside Germany. It is currently supporting the expansion of one of the Max Planck Society's most traditional institutes, the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome.
The world's leading art history institute is dedicated to researching visual arts and architecture from post-classical times to the 20th century and their significance for European cultural history. Additional space is needed for its successful research strategies in the immediate vicinity of the Spanish Steps and the Villa Medici – an area where real estate is extremely scarce. It was therefore a stroke of luck that the Max Planck Foundation was able to acquire a historic hall building of around 500 square meters nearby from an insolvency auction. The former discotheque with fire damage in Via Gregoriana is now to be professionally renovated and leased to the Bibliotheca Hertziana. The extension is currently still in the approval planning stage.
About "NeuHaus"
The Göttingen building will be called "NeuHaus". This is the foundation's tribute to its biggest supporter, the East Westphalian entrepreneur Hermann Neuhaus, who died in 2007. The manufacturer of the SULO brand (black waste disposal cans, iconic throughout Germany), bequeathed a large part of his fortune to the Hermann Neuhaus Foundation. This is managed under the umbrella of the Max Planck Foundation. In accordance with his wishes, the foundation supports projects with application potential and enables innovations for the future. Hermann Neuhaus' financial foundation and the charitable commitment of other private individuals enable the Foundation to make this special investment.