Henning Larsen and Ramboll have won the competition to design the new campus for the prestigious scientific research center, CERN. Designed to integrate science and nature, the B777 building uses biogenic materials and low-carbon methods to reimagine traditional laboratory settings. Situated on the border of France and Switzerland, in CERN’s Prévessin Campus, the scheme aims to foster a sense of community, collaboration, and well-being.
The nature campus for CERN’s Campus is a circular structure at the forest’s edge. This decision emphasizes the “open invitation” for scientists and visitors to engage with the surrounding natural environment. The circular layout is around a central courtyard, featuring office, laboratory, and workshop spaces constantly interacting with nature. These programs are housed within the open timber building. The design concept hopes to bring CERN’s foundational mission to life: uniting scientists in pursuing knowledge.
The interior strongly emphasizes communal areas, demonstrated through the quadruple-height public atrium designed for unofficial work and social gatherings. Flexible floor patterns remove dead ends, encouraging community interaction and offering designated outdoor leisure areas. The center courtyard, which serves as a social focus and connects different building elements, extends the outdoor comfort season and is modeled after Alpine village plazas.
Our vision is to craft a dynamic workspace at the heart of nature—a place where wellbeing, collaboration, and knowledge thrive. It's not just an ordinary office; the circular design serves as a symbolic marker, creating a new cultural center for the entire campus in a formerly rigid, orthogonal, research park, Søren Øllgaard, Partner and Design Director, Henning Larsen
The plan integrates elements to encourage outdoor connectedness and biodiversity, like slow and bike-friendly paths. This approach, coined as “Infranature” by Henning Larsen aims to balance the natural resources of the research campus with human well-being and environmental care. The biobased architecture of the building mimics the surrounding environment and provides a distinctive work environment where being close to nature improves well-being and productivity.
Overall, the B777 building represents a commitment to sustainable growth and scientific excellence on the CERN campus. It results from a joint effort to design a dynamic and ecologically mindful workspace. A significant priority is environmental sustainability, with efforts being taken to reduce operational and embodied carbon emissions. Life-cycle assessments are given top priority in the design, and a three-dimensional facade is used to maximize natural light and energy efficiency.
In similar news, Henning Larsen recently revealed the designs for Europe’s largest timber logistics center. Located on the Dutch island of Flevopolder, the center’s design is a testament to future timber applications. Similarly, the studio designed the Smyrill Line’s new headquarters and ferry terminal in Torshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands. The building pays homage to traditional Faroese fishing boats and the historic Eastern harbor while embracing the picturesque backdrop of abundant landscapes and open seas. Finally, Henning Larsen has designed Bolzano’s new industrial zone in the Italian Alps. The proposal revitalizes and reconnects parts of the city through adaptive reuse, urban mining, and timber construction.
