ATHORA residential and office complex, Munich

On the basis of a feasibility study we conducted, this previously commercially zoned lot is converted into a mixed-use commercial and residential complex. The prevalence of historic architecture gives the Altstadt-Lehel district its distinct character. Thanks to the multi-colored façades, numerous cultural sights and proximity to the city center and the Isar river, this one of Munich’s most appealing districts. The design retains three of the existing structures and adds two new buildings to the complex.

Our design varies the color, material and dimensions of all existing and new buildings depending on their context, orientation and use, offering five distinctive building types in all. The street-facing façades reflect the diversity of the district’s architecture and add another shade of red to the mix. By contrast, the buildings facing the interior courtyard are uniform in bright, modern shades of white and differ only in structure and materiality. As part of the preservation work the listed buildings at Thiersch Street 11 and Liebherr Street 5 from 1910 and the workshop in the courtyard will be restored. Two new buildings round out the ensemble that will adopt design elements of the neighboring listed buildings and offer a contemporary reinterpretation of it.