Fraunhoferstraße residential- and retail building, Munich

The building responds in both form and structure to the parameters of the site and the party walls abutting the neighboring buildings. The design is influenced by the unique location between the Isar river and the gateway into Munich’s downtown area. A strong, solid character that accentuates the building’s urbanity is combined with translucent, airy architecture.

The design offers a generous open façade onto the panorama of the river basin, gradually decreasing the openings in the façade facing the cityscape. Although the format of the windows varies on each front, they all follow the same structural principle and create a certain homogeneity in the building’s overall expression. The principle of “opening” expands towards the upper stories and culminates in terraces at roof level that offer sweeping views of the city and the surrounding landscape. The building is configured to give every apartment on each floor a view of both the Isar and the tranquil green space of the courtyard. Large-scale sliding doors enable residents to transform living area into open-air space.