Werkshöfe Munich (Building Section C)

Directly south-east of the Werksviertel Mitte, the terraced structure comprises three courtyards of different character. These open and close towards the surrounding area in order to connect to the sequence of pedestrian spaces, but also to offer residents semi-public retreats. Overhead, continuous arcades frame the three courtyards. They provide access to the individual apartments across the different parts of the building and, as usable open spaces, naturally promote the encounters that are so essential for communal living and are continued on the shared roof.

The project’s goal of being suitable for great-grandchildren requires the ability to cope with the unknown in the future. In line with the intended life cycle of more than 222 years, our building component largely dispenses with load-bearing walls. Instead, the loads are bundled in a robust skeleton in order to offer future generations functional openness in between. This structure defines room cells of uniform size, which are offset by a few meters on each axis. The body thus follows the urban contours, while the resulting pockets interlock the building and its surroundings as well as the interior and exterior spaces. Within the apartments, the shift opens up diagonal views between the individual rooms and zones. Narrowness and expansiveness define the space and offer the diverse residents different occupancy options by connecting individual areas. The offset stretches out protected front zones towards the arcade. These serve as an additional filter layer for the residents to individually regulate the degree of transparency between semi-public and private.