Science City Hamburg BahrenfeldBuilding Begins for the Hamburg Fundamental Interactions Laboratory (HAFUN)

19 January 2026, by Newsroom editorial office

Photo: Sprinkenhof GmbH, C.F. Møller Architects

In the bright new research building with a green rooftop (visualization), 200 researchers from the University of Hamburg will conduct basic research on questions in particle physics and cosmology using cutting-edge infrastructure.

Photo: University of Hamburg / Yzer

Breaking ground for HAFUN: Prof. Dr. Erika Garutti, Dr. Andreas Dressel, Maryam Blumenthal, Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren, and Martin Sowinski (from left to right)

Today’s festive groundbreaking with Maryam Blumenthal (science senator), Dr. Andreas Dressel (finance senator), Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren (president of the University of Hamburg), Martin Sowinski (managing director of Sprinkenhof GmbH), and Prof. Dr. Erika Garutti from the Institute of Experimental Physics at the University of Hamburg marked the official beginning of construction on the Hamburg Fundamental Interactions Laboratory (HAFUN).

HAFUN will be a unique research building on the Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld campus. In the future, it will house around 200 researchers in the University of Hamburg’s Cluster of Excellence Quantum Universe, the Department of Physics, and the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, all of whom will conduct research on fundamental questions of particle physics and cosmology using cutting-edge infrastructure. The unique selling point: the new research complex will house highly specialized lab areas, large equipment and facilities, and experimental infrastructure with integrated sensors of various types that make the building itself a measuring tool. The integrated gravity labs facilitate precision experiments in gravitational wave research and cosmic radiation. In one of the labs, a 9-meter-high pendulum will be installed on an air-sprung lab bench to facilitate new and better dimensions when it comes to precision in physical experiments.

The construction project was contracted by the Ministry of Science, Research and Equality. The municipal Sprinkenhof GmbH will oversee and administer the project using a landlord-tenant model. The project should be completed at the end of 2029. Overall costs are roughly €247 million gross, with partial financing in the amount of roughly €27 million from federal and state budgets.

Senator for Science, Research and Equality, Maryam Blumenthal: “HAFUN is more than just a new home for Hamburg’s excellent physics. This building will be a part of science itself, as a precision instrument opening up completely new opportunities for research here in Science City. With its transparent architecture, it will also be a window into science and make clear: scientific pursuit is part of this city and will lead us into the future. I am delighted that today’s groundbreaking is making this unique construction project a reality.”

Senator for Finance Dr. Andreas Dressel: “HAFUN is set to be an outstanding university building project, realized by the municipal Sprinkenhof. To better manage our ongoing budget obligations for this ambitious project once it is finished, we are looking at existing federal funding to see to what extent we can still depend on special infrastructure assets. In the upcoming years and decades, we have a lot of plans for university construction. In addition to outstanding single buildings such as HAFUN, it is therefore vital that we look more intensively at systems and modules for scientific buildings to make university construction more efficient and significantly more stable with regard to costs.”

Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren, president of the University of Hamburg: “With HAFUN, the building itself will be a measuring instrument for precise physical experiments. This infrastructure makes it possible for the Cluster of Excellence Quantum Universe to do research that is realizable in only a few locations around the world. For us at the University of Hamburg it is a long-term commitment to translate these special conditions into both excellent research and the professional development of early career researchers.”

Martin Sowinski, managing director of the Sprinkenhof GmbH: “HAFUN combines excellent basic research and technological innovation with social impact and strengthens Hamburg’s position as an internationally visible center of scientific work. We are delighted to complete the series of physics buildings in Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld with HAFUN as its third project. Following the successfully completed CHyN and HARBOR projects, we are now launching the construction phase together with everyone involved and we wish all of us a smooth, accident-free construction period.”

Prof. Dr. Erika Garutti, Institute of Experimental Physics at the University of Hamburg and spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence Quantum Universe: “HAFUN is a building that is far more than a lab. It is itself a part of our experiments. Here is where we will create the conditions for studying fundamental questions in physics, from dark matter to gravitational waves. HAFUN will become the new home of experimental research in Quantum Universe and it will provide the infrastructure for pioneering experiments that foster international cooperation and attract top scientists from all over the world.”

The new building will have 7 floors, with 3 lower and 4 upper levels covering a total of 19,000 square meters. Architecturally, it will be characterized by a striking, bright facade. A transparent ground floor and large openings will make research visible, while the observatory on the green rooftop will lend a sense of identity for educational outreach and PR efforts.

The architectural and design concept combine functional and clear layout with sustainable materials and a high degree of comfort. Two connected buildings will include short routes, green inner courtyards, and public spaces. The ground floor will be an interface with the public while a central winding staircase will connect all floors up to the roof. A lot of daylight and transparent room construction will inspire exchange, interdisciplinary cooperation, and a communicative environment.

Optimal location for connected top research in Hamburg

HAFUN is being built in the immediate neighborhood of existing University of Hamburg physics buildings, DESY, and other research institutions. This proximity strengthens in situ networking and creates optimal conditions for advancing the scientific goals of the Cluster of Excellence Quantum Universe. Eight experimental physics research groups will be based in this building and use the special labs there to conduct research on fundamental interactions in cosmology and particle physics.

Specifically, the researchers will focus on the properties of the Higgs-Boson elementary particle. There are also plans to study further particles and their interactions within the standard model of elementary particle physics. Furthermore, the research groups will observe and measure dark matter and study the transitional phases in the early Universe by observing gravitational waves. AI is also integral to the research program.

Research groups from the core research area particle, astro- and mathematical physics will be based at HAFUN. This is one of 5 core research areas at Universität Hamburg—University of Excellence. The HAFUN-based groups are an integral part of the Cluster of Excellence Quantum Universe in the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences and the Department of Physics.

The construction work can be traced with a construction camera.