The former industrial area known as Werksviertel near the Ostbahnhof train station is becoming a trendy urban neighborhood favored by owners and tenants from a variety of sectors and equally appealing as a place of residence, work and leisure. Our brief for this competition was to develop a creative concept for an office building that serves as an integral element of the new neighborhood and offers a unique, innovative appearance as well as an unusual, distinctive address.

Given its central location within the Werksviertel, the MK7 site embodies the spirit of the new quarter – not only as described in the urban development plan and the corresponding design guidelines, but as is evident in the high-quality, diverse architecture already on site. The distinctive shape and various routes leading to and through the site provide the context for our three buildings, which feature a strong industrial look and feel and contrasting green spaces with attractive landscaping between them. Its flexible, accessible design and recreational spaces make this complex a one-of-a-kind, iconographic office and commercial property that fits seamlessly into the diverse urban fabric of the Werksviertel. As one of the key elements of our design, there are pedestrian walkways for public use on the ground floor as well as elevated walkways between the upper floors of the individual buildings. Roof terraces and green spaces between the buildings offer appealing places for social interaction. All floorplans are multifunctional and can be adapted as needed to forward-looking workplaces.

In addition to the eco-friendly elements already included in the plans, such as compact construction, renewable and recyclable building materials and the use of regenerative energy, we expect to incorporate additional sustainability measures in further planning including wood-concrete composite construction.