Neuhauser Straße, Munich

The commercial building derives its architectural position and identity from the specific context of its location within a busy pedestrian-only shopping area. It makes reference to the multi-story, semi-public buildings zoned for retail and to the historical architecture of the neighboring downtown area.

As a key feature of the project, the design accentuates the individual retail units by subdividing the façade: each story stands out as a separate “house within a house” thanks to the rhythmic arrangement of arches with varying span sizes. The arches differentiate the units from one another, but also link them visually by interposing themselves between the glass façade and the units. The retail businesses occupying the units can be seen behind the arches. To give the occupants maximum flexibility, the units themselves are virtually devoid of built-in components; access points are the only permanent features. The façade design is derived directly from the building’s architectural context, striving to create an ambiguous, dialectical impression: delicate and yet sturdy, opulent in appearance and yet disciplined in structure, the building builds on reflexive, undogmatic modernism.

The arches made of porcelain-like vertical ceramic rods exhibit authentic quality craftsmanship befitting the building’s context. The further the rods extend up the building, the greater their cross-sectional insertion depth, so that the wide arches at ground-floor level appear as the largest openings on the façade. The rhythm of the arches is echoed in the glazing of the rods, which become more reflective as they go up and allow more light to reach the office space of the top-floor units.