This publication presents Peter Eisenman’s Biozentrum project, an expansion of Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, from 1987.

In the competition brief, the program of the complex included biotechnology, molecular biology and biochemistry research laboratories and support spaces. The design process used biological concepts and procedures to generate the geometrical pattern that establishes the location, dimension and form of the complex. The iterations of DNA molecules in the production of the protein collagen were at the base of the fractal geometry guiding the project design. These pairs of figures, with a gap in between them, were the base forms Eisenman adopted for the individual laboratories, concentrated in four- and five-storey blocks. Using a fractal-like technique to duplicate these figures at varying scales and oblique orientations when aligned at shared faces, these shapes became cantilevered spaces for cafeteria, library and meeting functions, arranged along a central linear circulation spine.

As part of a multiyear project that includes three exhibitions on twenty-five seminal projects, the CCA and Greg Lynn are publishing a series of digital publications recording conversations with key architects. The epubs are heavily illustrated with photos, drawings, renderings, videos, PDFs and interactive 3D models.

Edited by Greg Lynn
Graphic design and development by Linked by Air

Digital publication