Our architectural design for the Karl Areal complex builds on the industrial character of the urban setting, updating it for modern-day residential, office and social life.

The nine buildings of the new complex each have a distinct character in an allusion to the variety of building types in conventional industrial zones. The design takes care to avoid repeating visual themes; the buildings vary in height and proportion. Although each structure has a certain autonomy, the consistent grid pattern ties them together. The façades differ in both dimension and depth. The taller the building, the more sculptural its surface; the shorter it is, the more the exterior appears to flatten. The prevalence of perforated bricks in the façade grid decreases according to building height. The color scheme of the bricks is chosen seemingly at random for each building type, thereby establishing a relationship to the architecturally significant brick structures of the neighboring Löwenbräu brewery.

The design incorporates identity-shaping features as well as options to adapt the configuration with a scalable floorplan. As a result, each building type succeeds on a stand-alone basis or as part of an ensemble – a hotel can be refitted as apartments or hotels and vice versa.