How do you transform a building that is iconic, but whose façade is past its best and no longer meets contemporary requirements? Andreas Ferstl (with Muck Petzet and Partner Architekten) addressed this task when his team modernized a residential and administrative building in what is Munich’s oldest exclusive residential area. The owner’s brief: to cite the historical buildings in the immediate vicinity but with a contemporary exterior. The building on Bavariaring has been ready for occupation since October 2015 – and stands out above all for its sculptural façade featuring concrete elements by Rieder.
Before it was modernized the five-story structure was a child of its times: Designed and built in the 1970s by the architects at Ackermann and Partner the architecture was characterized by a post-and-beam façade with lead shingle cladding. Similarly, being too dark and not flexible enough in their usage, the office rooms needed modernizing. Andreas Ferstl and his team responded by converting the ground-floor warehouse into a spacious conference zone. A sound-deadening curtain system permits the floor to be divided flexibly into zones for different uses, which can be enlarged or reduced as required. The floors above now converted into offices admit more daylight and were also rendered as open and flexible as possible.
The apartments on the top floors remained unchanged, at least as regards their layout. However, Andreas Ferstl and team opted to alter the post-and-beam façade, which looked out of place with those of the surrounding houses. Story-high fiberglass reinforced concrete elements from Rieder’s “FibreC 3D” line were used to create a sharp-edged, buckled façade, which lends the floor-to-ceiling windows a frame with a strong sense of depth. And the material provided a further benefit: Being deformable, it could be worked accurately across the corners. Now with an exterior that is unusually sculptural this residential and administrative building with its solid structure and classic pyramid roof fits well into the historical residential area, while exuding a decidedly modern aesthetic.
Putting a fresh face on Munich’s Wiesenviertel quarter: The 1970s residential and administration building now boasts a new façade featuring concrete elements from Rieder. Photo © Ditz Fejer
With its solid volume and classic pyramid roof the building references the architecture of the prestigious town villas in its direct neighborhood. The buckled façade made of “FibreC 3 D” is a smart reinterpretation of classical elements. Photo © Ditz Fejer
The material is deformable, meaning it can be worked accurately across the corners. Perfect for architects wishing to realize sharp contours and three-dimensional shapes. Photo © Ditz Fejer
The former ground-floor warehouse was transformed into a spacious conference zone with a bright and welcoming ambiance. Thanks to the use of a sound-absorbing curtain system individual zones can be used flexibly and diversely. Photo © Ditz Fejer
A wedge-shaped footprint and five storeys: The lower floors are now home to contemporary offices, the upper floors provide space for several apartments and a rooftop terrace, which affords fantastic views of the Wiesenviertel. Photo © Ditz Fejer
On Bavariaring: Among the historical post-and-beam façade villas the modernized buildings with its unusually sculptural façade is a real eye-catcher. Photo © Ditz Fejer
The silver gray “FibreC 3D” was supplied as prefabricated panels. The buckled elements are smooth on both sides; the high quality material makes them extremely robust and durable. Photo © Ditz Fejer
