ZT Konstanz – Center for Visual Computing of Collectives

Konstanz, Germany

Photo © Miguel Babo

Architects: KRESINGS

Location: Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
Year: 2021
Client: Land Baden-Württemberg vertreten durch den Landesbetrieb Vermögen und Bau Konstanz
Team: Kilian Kresing (Projektpartner), Thomas Teepe (Projektleitung), Björn Jung, Philipp von Klonczynski, Ida Willmsen

With the construction of the Center on Visual Computing for Collectives (VCC), a research center is being set up at the University of Konstanz that explores and decodes swarm behavior and group dynamics in animal groups. For this purpose, the chairs of biology and computer science are brought together in the building, which is located on the north side of the university campus. An international team of experts in the fields of behavioral biology, computer graphics and data analysis research the collective behavior of animal groups such as fish and insect swarms. On the ground floor of the research center is the heart of the building: a two storey hangar as well as other rooms for keeping animals and insects. Embedded in reactive holographic 3D environments, the movements of each animal are spatially and temporally recorded and evaluated on a powerwall on the fifth floor, which is publicly accessible. On the floors one to four the office landscapes extend with further laboratories as well as meeting rooms.