Munich Airport is building an innovation campus across an expansive 26-hectare site—roughly the size of 70 football fields. Dutch architects and urban planners Kees Christiaanse Architects & Planners created the master plan. Lab 52 AirportAcademy, the second structure to open, takes its place at Pioneer Square, designed by Auer Weber alongside the neighboring Lab 48. The campus is easily accessible via the S-Bahn (Besucherpark station). True to its motto—"Connect, Create, Collaborate"—a smart city is gradually emerging on this innovative campus.

The campus brings together research institutions, high-tech industries across sectors, startups, and top talent—all under one ambitious vision. Twenty-nine buildings will eventually comprise the development, creating a vibrant blend of work and leisure in an urban setting. The AirportAcademy exemplifies this vision through bold, iconic architecture. Its signature feature: an expressive exposed-concrete framework wrapping the two-storey base, which provides both foundation and structural support. Above sits an elegant three-storey glass cube. The concrete struts are an inspired design move—their pattern echoes the very runways and taxiways of Munich Airport itself. Inside, alongside office space, you'll find expansive conference areas, state-of-the-art seminar rooms, and a dramatic two-storey lobby crowned with a glass roof. The venue accommodates 500 guests for events, while a café bar and dining options keep daily occupants well fed.

The building's streamlined three-story glass-fronted section contains office spaces and collaborative group rooms, all arranged around a central courtyard. Airport management has claimed the two basement levels for its own operations, housing specialized training programs focused on aviation-critical areas: airport operations, safety and security, crisis management, and cyber security. The curriculum blends theoretical instruction with hands-on, scenario-based exercises.

www.auer-weber.de

Photography:
Aldo Amoretti
www.aldoamoretti.com

(Published in CUBE Munich 03|24)