Foundation stone laid for the CAST research building

The Centre for Accelerator Science and Technology (CAST) will be DESY's central building for accelerator research

On January 17 the foundation stone for the new CAST building was laid on the DESY campus. Despite the winter weather, the ceremony for DESY's tallest research building was an entertaining event thanks to imaginative speeches. Representatives of the city and DESY conveyed the relevance of CAST for the operation and development of the research infrastructure in Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld.

Invited guests and employees also learned how the architectural concept will contribute to promoting exchange and transparency in everyday campus life. On a floor area of 725 square meters, around 2,400 square meters of usable space will be created for modern collaboration in accelerator research. The opening is planned for summer 2026.

Group photo of representatives of the research center DESY, the city and project participants — f.l.t.r.Beate Heinemann, Director of the Particle Physics Research Division, Helmut Dosch, Chairman of the DESY, Wim Leemans, Director of the Accelerator Division at DESY, CAST project manager Ulrich Linse, Arne Brinkmann, Jürgen Haar, both shift managers of DESY and responsible for the control room, Eva Gümbel, State Councillor for Science, Research and Equality of the BWFGB, Arik Willner, DESY's acting Administrative Director, Andreas Tödling, Head of pbr:GeN, Alexander Maul, Managing Director of pbr Planungsbüro Rohling AG

CAST creates opportunities for more spontaneous encounters

The CAST was designed by pbr Planungsbüro Rohling AG as a representative communication point. For the first time, around 240 employees from the fields of technology, research and engineering will be brought together in shared premises under the same roof. The division of office and meeting rooms is intended to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration. The new research building will also be a meeting place for employees, guests and visiting researchers. One highlight of the CAST is DESY's future accelerator control room - which will also be open to the public. A gallery for visitors will provide a direct insight into the operation of DESY's diverse research infrastructure.

Plenty of room for new ideas

"The new CAST building is a highly visible symbol of the central importance of accelerator research and technology at DESY and beyond. CAST will be a place where technologies are developed, knowledge is shared and innovation is created. Here, different groups from the accelerator sector will work side by side. The many communicative meeting opportunities offer plenty of room for new ideas and collaboration," says Wim Leemans, Director of Accelerator at DESY.

"As a further beacon of Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld , CAST will illustrate how important accelerator technologies are for Hamburg as a center of science. This is where we plan and control the X-ray light sources that give Science City its face and determine its global significance," explains Helmut Dosch, Chairman of the DESY Board of Directors.