»Workstations in sterile laboratories do not necessarily have to look sterile. We spoke to Markus Hammes about laboratories and their surroundings as modern working environments. He is one of the founders of Hammeskrause Architekten, a Stuttgart-based architectural firm known for its research and laboratory buildings, among other things.«
Mr Hammes, what role do communicative areas play in research facilities?
»In the historical development of laboratories, areas for communication are not a modern invention. On the contrary, they have been an integral and unconscious part of a laboratory. For exchange promotes knowledge and innovation. Another characteristic of communication is creativity, because in communicative social action new thoughts, ideas and problem solutions emerge. When work in the laboratory is part of a complex process that includes knowledge generation and innovation as its objectives, the opportunity for communication is of paramount importance. For this reason, such spaces are no longer seen as superfluous luxury but as a necessary part of a sustainable building concept.«
Excerpt from Der Facility Manager 10.2020
