In Feldkirchen, an independent municipality with approximately 8,000 residents east of Munich, a residential complex comprising 79 apartments was completed in the summer of 2023 on the grounds of a former Raiffeisen warehouse. The Munich-based architecture firm Felix + Jonas won the municipality's design competition for the project.

The design featured several distinctive qualities that contributed to winning first place: Most notably, the unconventional free-form composition of three building volumes appears seemingly arbitrary on the 6,000 m² site, yet strategically creates a verdant central plaza for residents in the outdoor space. Additional gathering areas emerge from the recessed and projecting facades of the largest of the three structures. This northern-facing building bar is positioned at the property boundary to serve as a sound barrier against passing trains. The housing offerings span from compact one-room apartments to generous five-room units.

What sets this project apart is how the residential typologies reflect the latest alternative approaches to contemporary living arrangements. A key focus is care for senior residents—20 units are reserved for seniors. Additionally, a co-housing cluster featuring shared common areas and private retreat spaces for up to seven residents is offered. This living model, inspired by student housing communities, has now become an established component in municipal housing programs. All spaces are barrier-free and some fully wheelchair accessible, with each unit featuring either a balcony or terrace. Energy is supplied by district heating from a geothermal system. The three-part residential ensemble includes additional amenities: a civic café serving as a community gathering space and supervised afternoon care for the adjacent primary school. Public transit access is excellent—the S-Bahn station is just a few minutes' walk away.

The complex was fully leased even before completion. The trio's welcoming appearance stems from its dual-color rendered monolithic masonry walls: warm rust-red in the base level and white in the upper stories. Matching rust-red window frames provide striking color accents. The green roofs function as climate buffers and moisture regulators. To harmonize with the surrounding fine-grained urban fabric, the two smaller buildings are proportionally lower than the longer bar structure. The positioning and massing of all three buildings are derived from their context, creating a deliberate dialogue with neighboring building edges, spatial axes, open spaces, and plazas.

www.felix-jonas.net

Photography:

Jonas Bloch
www.jonasbloch.de

(Featured in CUBE Munich 02|24)