25.01.2025

MVRDV in the Werksviertel Munich

Building design

MVRDV in Munich's Werksviertel. Visualizations: Antonio Luca Coco, Pavlos Ventouris, Luana La Martina, Luca Piattelli, Stefania Trozzi

The Rotterdam-based architecture firm MVRDV, known for innovative and playful architecture, has already impressed with its award-winning WERK12 in Munich’s Werksviertel district. Now they are presenting their next highlight: MONACO, a pioneering office building for the Rock Capital Group.

With the completion of WERK12, MVRDV has succeeded in playing a key role in shaping the transformation of Munich’s Werksviertel. The new MONACO building expands the multifunctional quarter with playful and sustainable architecture that combines work and leisure in an innovative way.

The Werksviertel in Munich has a long and varied history. Originally an industrial area with old German companies such as Pfanni and Zündapp, it underwent a major transformation in the 1980s and 1990s. The industrial buildings and company headquarters were replaced by nightclubs and creative spaces. These were intended to strengthen the nightlife and artistic scene in Munich and revitalize the area. The redevelopment focused on the conversion and redesign of existing building structures. Additions such as the already completed WERK12 by MVRDV are intended to precisely replace the historic buildings and reflect the transition from the industrial past to a creative future.

Under the direction of Jacob van Rijs, one of the partners of the architecture firm, a further precise symbiosis between work and leisure is now to be created. The building is divided into two zones, “work” and “play”. This zoning is part of the philosophy of the renowned architectural firm MVRDV. The zoning is achieved through three striking measures: material, color and volume. The “work” zone of the MONACO project adjoins the existing building. This will contain the office space of the Rock Capital Group. This is a six-storey knitted cube with French windows. Adjacent to this is the project’s “play” zone. Five cubes, varying in size and orientation, were playfully stacked on top of each other here. The resulting roof areas can be greened and used as terraces.

While the architectural styles represented in the Werksviertel Munich vary greatly, steel, glass and concrete are the main materials. A simple choice of materials in muted colors was therefore out of the question for the architectural firm MVRDV. Through environmentally conscious thinking and forward-looking materials, MVRDV has once again created a striking building. The façade of the working cube is to be constructed using recycled bricks from demolition work in the Munich region. Various recycled bricks from different demolition projects are used here. The different colors and structures of the bricks are to be emphasized through targeted placement and create a patchwork façade. The resulting varying façade sections are intended to reflect the mixed and diverse society of the Werkviertel in Munich.

The playful side of the design contrasts with the strict office façade. The differentiation here is created by the material, color and shape, which vary greatly. The colorful façade design consists of 70 percent shingles from the Amsterdam-based company Pretty Plastic, which manufactures façade elements entirely from recycled plastic waste. The color spectrum of the shingles ranges from purple to green. This material has already proven its worth in projects such as the Tongelreep National Swimming Center in Eindhoven, Netherlands. In Germany, it is now being used for a façade for the first time. The MVRDV climate team had to carry out extensive research to ensure that the material complies with German building regulations.

The colorful façade also features various projections and recesses. These ensure the necessary distance from the neighboring building. At the same time, this creates several green outdoor terraces that extend the communal activities taking place inside. On the first floor, a cantilevered cube on the second floor creates a roof. The slightly inclined walls and generous windows offer an optimal view of the Werksviertel. The volumes are filled with various functions and also help to create places of retreat. Further green zones are planned behind the building. Organic shapes and deliberately placed paved areas form the pocket park. The triangular park is bordered by trees to create a kind of green wall.

Inside MVRDV’s MONACO building in Munich, a clear contrast is the organizing principle. The work area is flexibly designed so that the arrangement of the partition walls can be easily adapted to the individual needs of the tenants. The neutral interior design in the work area is perfectly complemented by the colorful accents in the playful area.

On the first floor there is an open lobby with space for a forum – ideal for presentations and the exchange of ideas. There is also a beer garden with a terrace for employees and reading rooms suitable for relaxed group activities. On the roof of the work wing is a spacious roof terrace that offers a sweeping view over the entire Werksviertel Munich. A multifunctional room, which can be used for a wide variety of events, is also located on the roof.

With the MONACO project, the Rotterdam-based architecture firm MVRDV is consolidating its role as a visionary designer of modern office buildings in the Werksviertel district of Munich. Following the success of WERK12, which has already set new standards for innovative architecture, MVRDV is building on this legacy with MONACO. The second building in the Werksviertel district combines sustainable design with a playful layout that unites work and leisure in one dynamic space.

With its flexible, adaptable workspace and creative communal areas, MVRDV not only shapes Munich’s urban landscape, but also shows what office buildings of the future can look like: sustainable, functional and forward-looking. With MONACO, MVRDV is making a decisive contribution to the transformation of the neighborhood from a former industrial zone to a creative, multifunctional district and is thus having a lasting influence on the development of modern working environments.

25.11.2024

Sebastian Stettner – Work assignment successful

Building design

From 1995 to 1999, the author restored five paintings from the main altar of the Franciscan church in Subotica (Hungary). The archive material available there already provided indications of the authorship of Sebastian Stettner (1699-1758). The documents in Subotica describe, among other things, the execution of the commission. According to them, Sebastian Stettner painted St. Michael “with extraordinary skill and expertise” in such a way that he […]

The documents in Subotica describe, among other things, the execution of the commission. According to them, Sebastian Stettner painted St. Michael “with extraordinary skill and expertise” in such a way that he steps on the devil. However, the client criticized the number of devils: “Why so many devils?” (Archivium 1751: 30). The artist therefore had to make changes to his painting and probably painted a completely new picture, as X-ray examinations showed no traces of overpainting. As things stand at present, he probably only submitted an oil sketch to the director of the House of the Order and chose the current iconographic concept before executing it. Unfortunately, these or other sketches by Stettner have not survived. They would have provided a better indication of his drawing skills and would have brought us closer to the art workshop where he studied.

However, by examining the materials and production techniques and evaluating the sources, a total of 14 works could be attributed to this master. The painter and gilder, whose origins are documented as “Dorst, Baijern” but could not be verified, settled in Buda (Hungary) in 1727, where he was granted citizenship in 1736. The city fathers made their decision dependent on the consent of two painters in Buda: Georg Falkoner (1646-1741) and Kaspar Landtrachtinger (1670-1744). Around 1738, his marriage to Maria Theresia Seth (1716-1789) enabled him to acquire a house in which he ran his workshop. His wife was also a painter and continued to run the workshop after Stettner’s death.
You can find out more about Sebastian Stettner’s painting technique in RESTAURO 4 / 2014.

24.12.2024

Adding a storey to a house using a 3D printer

Building design

PERI realizes the world's first residential building extension with 3D concrete printing technology in Lindau. — The PERI company is realizing the world's first residential building extension with 3D concrete printing technology in Lindau/Lake Constance. Photo: PERI

After the first residential building with 3D printing technology, PERI has now realized the world’s first residential building extension – also with a 3D printer – in Lindau. You can read all about the project here.

Following the first residential building with 3D printing technology, the company Peri has now realized the world’s first residential building extension – also with a 3D printer – in Lindau. You can read all about the project and its significance for contemporary urban development in terms of redensification here.

A few weeks after Germany’s first 3D-printed house was opened in Beckum, the Weißenhorn-based formwork giant Peri is once again making a name for itself with a project on Lake Constance. This time with the addition of a storey to a residential building in Lindau, Bavaria.

The planning architect André Baldauf is extending the residential building by one storey. What is unique about this residential extension is that the load-bearing wall structures of the new storey are applied to the existing load-bearing structure using a 3D concrete printer. For this purpose, the old roof is first removed and a concrete ceiling is placed on top. In contrast, the ceiling is still being produced conventionally, as current 3D printing processes are not yet suitable for ceilings.

This creates an additional storey on the house with a floor area of 120 square meters and a height of 3.70 meters. The insulation made of Neptune gas insulates the double-shell walls. A new timber folding roof completes the extension at the top. With this project, Peri wants to show how flexibly 3D printing technology can be used in building construction. A particular challenge in the extension project in Lindau was the slope of the property, which initially posed difficulties for those involved in setting up the 3D printer. Like the house in Beckum, the extension in Lindau is a prototype project for Peri, with which the company wants to demonstrate the possibilities of its technology.

Similar to a 3D printer for plastics, the 3D concrete printing process from Danish company Cobod used here involves applying layers of specially designed concrete on top of each other until the desired wall height is reached. This is because the printer is set up as a gantry printer. This means that the machine stands on a structure that spans the work surface. This allows the print head to move in the resulting space. The print head uses a nozzle to apply layers of concrete two centimetres high and five centimetres wide as standard.

Layer by layer, load-bearing walls are created that can follow almost any curves and curves. The layer structure creates the corrugated look of the walls that is typical of this 3D printing variant. According to the manufacturer, the printer used (BOD2) takes around five minutes to print one square meter of double-skin wall.

The concrete used is a special formulation. The manufacturer HeidelbergCement has developed this specifically for 3D printing and calls it “i.tech 3D”. It is designed for good pumpability and high green strength and allows fresh-in-fresh printing. The special concrete is said to be fully recyclable and its development focused on the lowest possibleCO2 footprint. According to the manufacturer, up to 50 percent ofCO2 emissions can be saved compared to conventional concrete construction.

The advantages and disadvantages of adding storeys to buildings using 3D printing are similar to those of 3D building printing in general. In terms of time, costs and manpower, the technology already has an advantage over molded concrete in certain areas of application. In addition, complex shapes can be realized without high additional costs. However, there is currently no way to print reinforced walls with increased load-bearing capacity. This is because the choice of materials for 3D printing of buildings is still very limited.

3D concrete printing could provide a significant boost to urban densification. Where possible, a 3D-printed extension can also be harmoniously added to complex building structures. Compared to traditional construction methods, the disruption caused to the surrounding residents by the construction work would ultimately be reduced, at least in terms of time. This could therefore pave the way for greater acceptance. In the near future, the method could also offer considerable cost savings in some cases compared to traditional formwork concrete construction.

The 3D printing of buildings is still in its infancy and is currently undergoing a rapid phase of development. We can look forward to many more innovations in this area before certain processes become established and suitable for the mass market.

You can find more information on Peri’s 3D concrete printing process on the manufacturer’s website.

Also interesting: In Hamburg, the urban real estate developer Sprinkenhof is planning an administrative building in timber construction together with ADEPT. This is set to become Germany’s largest timber building.