Gym, pool, bars and restaurants complete the mix in MVRDV-designed urban redevelopment
by Stu Robarts | 18 Oct 2019
– Jacob van Rijs
MVRDV has completed the WERK12 mixed-use building in Munich, Germany, with elements that can be adapted for use by different tenants.
The 7,700sq m (83,000sq ft) development has a varied group of tenants, including restaurants and bars on the ground floor a three-storey gym with a one-storey swimming pool on the middle floors and offices at the top.
The façade was designed in collaboration with local artists Christian Engelmann and Beate Engl. With 5m (16ft)-tall lettering which is illuminated at night, it spells out colloquial expressions that recall the graffiti found on the building when it was a derelict potato factory and part of the Werksviertel-Mitte industrial site.
Circulation was placed on the outside of the building to allow the interiors to be easily reconfigured, while extra-high ceilings, with 5.5m (18ft) between floors, allow for the addition of mezzanines and other interstitial levels as the needs of occupants change.
Terraces surround each floor, providing additional ways for people to move around the building. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls allow natural light in and provide views over Munich, particularly from the upper levels.
"The area of the Werksviertel-Mitte district has already undergone such interesting changes, transforming from an industrial wasteland to a legendary entertainment district," said founding partner of MVRDV Jacob van Rijs.
"With our design, we wanted to respect and celebrate that history, while also creating a foundation for the next chapter. WERK12 is stylish and cool on one hand, but on the other, it doesn’t take itself so seriously – it’s not afraid to say 'PUH' to passers-by!"
The building forms the nucleus of the Werksviertel-Mitte district urban regeneration scheme.
MVRDV mixed-use Munich
The façade was designed in collaboration with local artists Christian Engelmann and Beate Engl Credit: MVRDV
The mixed-use building covers 7,700sq m (83,000sq ft) Credit: MVRDV
The façade is illuminated at night Credit: MVRDV
It comprises 5m (16ft)-tall lettering that spells out colloquial expressions Credit: MVRDV
There are different words spelt out on different sides of the building Credit: MVRDV
Circulation was placed on the outside of the building to allow the interiors to be easily reconfigured Credit: MVRDV
Letters of the façade installation can be seen from inside the building too Credit: MVRDV
The façade recalls the graffiti culture of the old site Credit: MVRDV
Credit: MVRDV
MVRDV has completed the WERK12 mixed-use building in Munich, Germany, with elements that can be adapted for use by different tenants. The 7,700sq m (83,000sq ft) development has a varied group of tenants, including restaurants and bars on the ground floor a three-storey gym with a one-storey swimming pool on the middle floors and offices at the top. The façade was designed in collaboration with local artists Christian Engelmann and
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