The overall ‘Flair Schwabing’ project comprises two buildings that complement the existing northern development, dating from the 1970s, to form an urban superblock. The buildings take their cue from the local scale and carry this forward accordingly. The building on the corner of Schleißheimer Straße and Herzogstraße comprises a total of around 100 micro-flats, as well as a grocery shop on the ground floor. The flats are accessed via a central stairwell and are all connected to the three-storey underground car park. Even from the outside, the modular nature of the development is evident in the strict, geometrically staggered arrangement of the façade.

Since 2015, the team at Drees & Sommer has been supporting Investa Real Estate’s residential development project and developed a consistent interior design brand for 84 micro-apartments, including all special areas such as entrance and circulation areas, right through to completion in 2020/2021. The architectural team at dreisterneplus Architektur+Stadtplanung (formerly Meili, Peter Architekten München) was responsible for the building design. What defines the design is its interplay with the contrast between different perspectives: whilst the façade appears as a monolithic, stone relief when viewed at an angle, from the front it reveals great transparency with exceptionally delicate façade elements.

Very early on in the design phase, it was decided – in collaboration with the project developer and the owner – to use natural stone as the preferred façade material, given its durability, high quality and, above all, sustainability. This choice has already been recognised with the 2020 German Nature Prize. “Within the dense fabric of the block development, the architectural practice has set a remarkable example that demonstrates how architecture which, at first glance, does not appear particularly spectacular can nevertheless bring about a sustainable enhancement of public space,” stated the jury in its citation, which continued: “It is the choice of material that makes this building in the city something special: the natural stone, which is pleasantly light in colour yet does not appear cold.” Contrasting with the light-coloured natural stone (Grigio Alpin) are the large oak windows, which add a warm, homely material to the façade. “In our view, this is a beautiful contrast that gives the residential building a character all of its own,” said architect Lisa Yamaguchi. 

www.dreisterneplus.de
www.dreso.com

Photography Credits:

Florian Holzherr
www.florian-holzherr.com



(Published in CUBE Munich, Issue 01|22)