Reconstruction of the basement of the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology

The laboratory floors in the building section N of the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology were practically dismantled except for the building shell, renovated in terms of energy efficiency and fire protection as well as reconstructed for a scientific department.

Some of the existing rooms in the basement, most of which had been used as archives, were structurally refurbished and converted into special laboratories for highly sensitive microscopes. Since experimental set-ups are very complex and delicate, preventing any vibrations was an important requirement for the microscopy rooms. This vibration control was realized by means of jointed and decoupled foundations as well as automatically adjusting work tables. The corridors and the adjoining rooms were designed accordingly. In order to ensure the most accurate measurement results possible, a maximum temperature fluctuation of ± 0.1 Kelvin is permissible in the microscope rooms. For meeting this requirement, the microscopes were set up in an airtight, insulated encasement.