Vibrant residential shelf
A residential complex at Dantebad for municipal utility employees
On the west side, adjacent to the Dantebad's summer entrance, architects Stefan Maisch and Richard Wolf created an elevated residential complex for Munich's municipal utility employees. The ground floor accommodates storage and workshop facilities for the swimming pool operations, along with parking spaces for residents. A basement was omitted due to the challenging site conditions above the U-Bahn tunnel. The elevated structure also frames views of the Dantebad beyond.
The complex exclusively serves municipal utility employees. It provides 56 furnished one- and two-room apartments, plus shared living spaces designed for temporary stays up to one year—bridging the gap until permanent housing becomes available from the utility's portfolio.
The building's colorful Dantestraße-facing facade brings instant cheer, even in passing. Each apartment features a uniquely pastel-toned loggia, with hues derived from Otl Aicher's iconic 1972 Olympic palette (the Dantebad was an Olympic training facility at the time). Floor-to-ceiling glazing in larch wood frames floods the apartments with western light. The main entrance sits on the building's rear, accessed from Dantestraße. All units are fully accessible via two stairwell cores and open galleries along the eastern facade.
The apartments line up like colorfully appointed boxes nestled within a white cube—a vivid, picturesque residential shelf. On the rear galleries, the front façade's palette repeats as horizontal color bands. The upper three floors house communal spaces directly connected to the main stairwell: a resident gathering area, fitness and recreation facilities, and a shared laundry room. Communal roof terraces dot the rooftop alongside an expansive solar installation—a natural choice for a utility company committed to renewable energy.
Behind a bicycle parking area at the building's rear, the sunbathing lawn of the summer pool begins almost immediately. During construction, architects Maisch Wolf also redesigned the Dantebad's entrance pavilion. The complex has proven equally popular during the Bavarian Chamber of Architects' annual architecture tours last year.
Photography Credits:
Stefan Müller-Naumann
www.architektur-fotograf-muenchen.de
(Published in CUBE Munich 03|20)


