Innovation Park IPAI

The Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI) will be a hub for research and development in artificial intelligence, located in Heilbronn, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Driven by the idea that AI should always be in service of human and natural life, the campus functions as a living laboratory, inviting visitors and professionals to participate in shaping the future of this technology. 

The masterplan for the Innovation Park integrates office spaces, laboratories, residential buildings, a hotel and amenities on a 23ha site. It is designed to accommodate growth and flexibility, while also creating an environment that stimulates innovation and functions as a live laboratory for AI research. New technologies and ideas are meant to be “thought out, tested and lived” all in the same place, enriching the lives of over 5000 people working and residing on the campus. 

A lavish garden forms the heart of the Innovation Park, attracting new visitors and providing a lush green space for regeneration and relaxation. Its meandering water landscape also functions as a retention basin for rainwater, supporting local biodiversity and creating a pleasant microclimate. Reeds filter and clean grey water. The green heart is surrounded by a ring of buildings accentuated by four office towers hosting a diverse program, including innovation hubs, workspaces for start-ups, laboratories, a conference and welcoming center. 

The architecture on the Innovation Park will vary in size, harmonising high-rise and low-rise units with active plinths. The buildings are planned as highly efficient hybrid wood constructions. Thanks to automated climate and light control, they will consume up to 50 percent less CO2 than conventional buildings. Photovoltaic panels mounted on roofs and facades can generate up to two-thirds of the energy required by the campus on site. 

Different landscape typologies such as flowing water-rich parkscapes, bushes and grasses and productive agricultural zones are woven in between buildings. The presence of water and the natural process of evaporation helps cool down the campus. A residential district on the eastern side of the campus will follow an analog, down-to-earth design approach, embracing a digital detox in an environment accelerated by computation and data. 

As a productive landscape, the Innovation Park will create new frontiers in agricultural production. Along the central axis of the Römerweg – a historic road that connects the site to residential areas north and south of the campus – space will be allocated for cultivating innovative agriculture. Micro Farming will take place on green roofs. A central weekly market will be an important meeting point for the community, stimulating discussions on sustainable food production. 

The IPAI Innovation Park promotes the idea of a neighbourhood and community that is under constant development – a “permanent beta” stage. A spatial dialogue between nature and digital technologies will inspire new connections and relationships. An extensive network of sensors installed all over the campus will generate data, feeding a “sensitive campus” that can produce new insights into climate, mobility and human behaviour: a true sandbox for innovation.