The overall "Flair Schwabing" project comprises two buildings that complement the existing northern development from the 1970s to form an urban superblock. The buildings respond to and extend the local scale of their surroundings. The corner building at Schleißheimer Straße/Herzogstraße houses approximately 100 micro-apartments in total, along with a grocery store at street level. The units are accessed via a central stairwell and uniformly connected to a three-level underground parking garage. The modular character of the development is evident from the outside through the rigorous, geometrically articulated order of the façade.

Since 2015, the Drees & Sommer team has guided Investa Real Estate's residential development project and developed a cohesive interior design brand for 84 micro-apartments, including all ancillary areas such as lobbies and circulation spaces, through completion in 2020/2021. The architectural team from dreisterneplus Architektur+Stadtplanung (formerly Meili, Peter Architekten München) is responsible for the building design. What defines this design is its interplay of contrasting perceptual perspectives: from an oblique angle, the façade appears as a monolithic stone relief, while from the front view it reveals itself in great transparency with maximally delicate façade elements.

Early in the design phase, the project developer and owner jointly decided to employ natural stone as the preferred façade material—one that is durable, high-quality, and above all sustainable. A choice that has already been recognized with the German Natural Stone Prize 2020. "In the dense structure of block development, the architectural firm has set a remarkable example that demonstrates how, with an architecture that may not appear spectacular at first glance, a sustainable enhancement of public space can be achieved," according to the jury's citation, which further states: "It is the material choice that makes this building something special in the city: the natural stone, pleasantly bright yet not cold in appearance." Contrasting with the light natural stone (Grigio Alpin) are large windows in oak wood, which impart a warm, residential quality to the façade. "From our perspective, a beautiful contrast that gives residential construction its own distinct character," says architect Lisa Yamaguchi.

www.dreisterneplus.de
www.dreso.com

Photography Credits:

Florian Holzherr
www.florian-holzherr.com

(Published in CUBE Munich, Issue 01|22)