Brainergy Hub Jülich: timber hybrid, breathing façade, LowEx – a circular building as a social driver of the energy transition

The energy transition needs spaces and clear images to support it. Where transformation policy meets everyday life, places that enable community, consolidate knowledge and conserve resources are convincing. A striking building block is being created in Jülich for this purpose: the Brainergy Hub. The circular new building will become the social centre of an entire energy park—as a workplace, a platform for exchange and an identity-forming figure for a region on the move. Completion is scheduled for 2027.

Knowledge hub in the energy park

The Brainergy Hub will become the heart and address of a site that attracts companies and start-ups in renewable energy, the bioeconomy and digitalisation. The architecture by HENN makes the programme legible: a circular building with equal orientation in all directions, anchored in a park landscape. This is where people meet to work, present and communicate.

Circle as a principle – grid as a tool

Inside, a modular system organises the uses: on the upper levels, a “pixel cloud” of office units takes shape, framed by three continuous balcony rings. In between, courtyards and a generous atrium bring daylight deep into the building and open up a variety of circulation routes. External staircases allow shortcuts; the ground floor is set back and establishes a clear north–south axis linking the lake and the orchard on the site. Event spaces with a terrace await on the roof.

Timber hybrid that creates atmosphere

Structurally, the design relies on a timber–concrete hybrid structure. Timber columns and beams remain visible, and interior spaces receive timber cladding. This creates warmth, robustness and a tactile quality that matches the programme’s intent: focused work, spontaneous discussion, collaborative development. For the project, the CO2 balance is assessed throughout—including sequestered carbon and operations—and used as a basis for decisions. A DGNB Gold certificate is the target.

Façade, climate, energy – a finely balanced system

The building envelope plays an active role in the climate concept. Decentralised, “breathing” façade elements alternate between supply and exhaust air, ensure high air quality and, according to the design, achieve up to 90% heat recovery. External solar shading reduces heat gain. Inside, heating and cooling panels complement the control system; at night, the system cools the thermal mass. Electricity is generated by photovoltaic modules on the roof and in the circulation rings; surpluses flow into an in-house energy storage system. The hub draws heat and cooling from the park’s LowEx local heating network, with heat pumps acting as the key drivers.

Landscape and water management as co-players

The hub is set within a diverse park landscape. Green spaces and biotopes counteract urban heat effects; green roofs and courtyards create additional habitats. A newly created lake serves as a retention basin for the rainwater of the entire park. The building also uses rainwater in operation. Architecture, open space and water management interlock to form a robust, low-maintenance system.

Interior architecture: workshop spirit and clear orientation

The interior translates the circular concept from the macro to the micro level: modular furniture made from circular segments, expansive seating landscapes in the foyer, round stools and flexible tables. Visible timber structures, exposed building services, functional metal surfaces and robust components made of laminated timber and recycled material create a workshop atmosphere that invites active use. Colour schemes zone the building, strengthen identity and aid orientation; the typography in the floor designed by Büro Uebele connects wayfinding with a poetic layer. Around the central spiral staircase, four office units are grouped in each case, with open work areas, smaller offices and meeting and workshop zones. On the ground floor, the foyer forms an address-defining central axis, including a “Pitch Arena” for presentation and exchange.

Why this matters for educational construction

The Brainergy Hub is exemplary of learning and working environments that take collaboration seriously. The ring as a spatial figure promotes encounters, the envelope takes on tasks of building services engineering, and open space and water activate resilience. For campus and school buildings, the project offers inspiration: modular use clusters instead of rigid corridors, breathing façades with decentralised ventilation, clear ground-floor zones as a commons, staircases as social connectors, and roof areas as a third level. The design thus functions as a blueprint for how knowledge spaces for the energy transition—from co-working to workshop-based pedagogy—can be conceived in terms of programme and climate.

Project data

• Project: Brainergy Hub
• Location: Jülich, Germany
• Typology: new build
• Client: Brainergy Park Jülich GmbH
• Architecture: HENN
• Scope of services: HOAI phases 1–9, object and general planning, interior design
• Landscape architecture: Latz + Partner
• Structural engineering / MEP: Buro Happold GmbH
• Building physics / acoustics / media planning: Müller BBM (thermal insulation, building and room acoustics, media planning)
• Fire safety: hhp Berlin
• Façade: Schöne Neue Welt Ingenieure
• DGNB certification: Kempen Krause Ingenieure
• Kitchen planning: K & P Planungsbüro GmbH
• IT technology: ComConsult
• Media planning: hmpartner
• Signage: Büro Uebele
• Site area: 39,400 m²
• Gross floor area (GFA): 9,700 m²
• Dimensions: diameter 73 m, height 18 m
• Storeys: 1 basement level, 4 upper floors
• Workstations: approx. 300
• Competition: 2021
• Construction start: 2024
• Completion (planned): 2027
• Sustainability: DGNB Gold (target)