The adaptive reuse of the listed Materialprüfungsanstalt (Materials Testing Institute) in Darmstadt transforms an underused 1950s building into an open house for the city: a place for democracy, participation and exchange. Situated between Mathildenplatz, the hospital and the courthouse, the building occupies a central urban location, yet remains largely disconnected from public life. The project seeks to change this by giving the existing structure a new civic purpose while preserving its architectural character and material history.

Three architectural gestures open the building to its surroundings: a generous ground-floor opening connects the inner courtyard with the public space, a timber arcade creates a new entrance along the street, and an accessible roof garden with an elevated tower extends the building into the urban landscape. Together, these interventions establish new connections between inside and outside, making the building more accessible and its new identity more visible.

The programme is organised into three zones combining public, residential and working spaces. Event and exhibition rooms, a café and a youth hostel create opportunities for gathering, learning and participation. Flexible office and workshop spaces provide room for initiatives and educational projects, while a mix of compact maisonette apartments and accessible ground-floor housing introduces everyday life into the building. The four former testing halls become distinct public spaces: an agora for collective gatherings, a planting hall for urban agriculture, a workshop for hands-on making and a digital library. Historic testing furnaces are retained and transformed into seating niches, allowing traces of the building’s former use to become part of its new identity.

Sustainability is approached primarily through the careful reuse of the existing structure and materials. The building’s underlying structure, with its precise grid, floor zones and vertical circulation, remains legible throughout. New functions, such as kitchens and bathrooms, are integrated into former circulation areas, preserving the clarity of the existing organisation while simplifying technical services. Historic doors, lighting elements and floor finishes are retained or refurbished wherever possible. A new inner layer of the façade acts as a winter garden and thermal buffer, helping to improve the building’s thermal performance while creating additional spaces for use throughout the year.

Materiality and atmosphere play a central role in the design. The characteristic elements of the existing building, including brick, aluminium, tile and concrete, are retained or refurbished, while new additions introduce deliberate contrasts. Brightly coloured timber elements in pink, blue, yellow and black, together with new pink brick walls around the tower, create a distinct contemporary layer. The new structures stand on their own foundations, connecting to the existing building with respect and restraint. Inside, vinyl flooring is replaced with linoleum, while the café’s mosaic floor picks up the pattern of the neighbouring Mathildenhöhe, creating a connection between interior and exterior. A suspended, perforated aluminium ceiling recalls the former offices, and the reception desk takes inspiration from the form and materiality of the original laboratory benches.

The result is a building that connects past and future, giving the site a new identity: a place for democracy, participation and everyday life, where the existing architecture is preserved while new possibilities unfold...

Developed through an independently devised programme and an experimental, research-driven design process, the master’s thesis received the award "bdia ausgezeichnet" from the bdia Landesverband Hessen.