LOLA

LOLA and MVRDV won the competition to design the new AI campus in Heilbronn (IPAI). The 23 hectare circle shaped campus will offer business, science and the public sector a unique environment to work together on AI solutions.

The compact circular building scheme of the IPAI campus leaves a maximum surface unsealed, to connect to the surrounding landscape, to store carbon, to stimulate biodiversity, and to offer a relaxed outdoor space for lunch breaks. A composition of orchards, forest, meadows and test-beds for biodiversity and agri-AI will be monitored and maintained with the help of remote sensing and up-close sensors, to optimize its ecosystem services.

The boundary between the buildings and the surrounding landscape is underlined by a ring for running, skating and relaxing. The campus itself is car-free. The pedestrian public space contains a number of plazas for experiment and exhibition, as well as outdoor working spaces, sports pitches and play area.

All buildings, public space and landscape will be designed by the consortium. MVRDV was in the lead for architecture and urban planning, and the consortium was supported by Thornton Tomasetti, Studio Animal-Aided Design, REALACE, Peutz Consult GmbH, Gruner Deutschland, and Made by Mistake.