Where a car dealership with a workshop stood just a few years ago, there is now a commercial building with flexible usage options. It owes its name, "79 West", to its location on an arterial road in the west of Straubing. The local firm Pielmeier Architekten was commissioned to plan and implement the new property. Planning began in 2022, and the buildings were ready for occupancy in spring 2025. Today, it houses nine tenants from various industries.

Part of the old building stock could not be preserved: contamination of the soil in the former car repair shop made it necessary to demolish the building and replace the soil. This part of the building was replaced by a new two-storey building. The concrete skeleton structure of the car dealership, on the other hand, was preserved, renovated and converted to save grey energy. The entire site, which had previously been sealed, was unsealed. The design of the ceramic façade of the new buildings – the street-facing side – had to be coordinated with the monument protection authority, not only because of the listed St. Wolfgang educational institution opposite, but also to ensure that it blended in with the neighbouring buildings.

An anthracite-coloured curtain-type, rear-ventilated ceramic façade was chosen for this purpose, with elements featuring a grooved surface structure to create light and shadow effects. The type of glazing is also an additional design element: the windows on the two upper floors of the existing building are flush with the interior, while those on the ground floor are flush with the exterior, as this floor is home to businesses that are open to the public and the car dealership's "shop windows" have been retained for this purpose.

Where possible, the generous room heights and spans as well as the concrete ribbed ceiling of the existing building were retained and, in some cases, incorporated into the design of the new building. A new addition is a shared roof terrace for all parties. Sustainability was a key consideration in the interior design and energy-efficient equipment: the architects opted for wood fibre insulation, and the floors are mainly made of rubber. Heating is provided by an air-source heat pump in combination with a PV system for electricity.

Interior designer Sarah Knauer, büro aestäs, was consulted for the rental unit of a paediatric dental practice. She designed an interior that appeals to young patients, featuring forest, water and cloud motifs in complementary shades of green, blue and grey, as well as iridescent foil on the doors. All of this was done with a certain imperfect roughness to match the industrial look of the concrete ribs.

www.pielmeierarchitekten.com

Photos:
Simon Burko
www.simonburko.com

(Published in CUBE Munich 04|25)