Over 15 years ago, we completed a mixed-use residential and commercial building in Munich that embodies a simple yet effective principle: urban mixed-use development. In 2001, we won the urban planning ideas and implementation competition for the regeneration of the Maikäfersiedlung in the urban development sector. Developed in line with our development plan for the entire Maikäfersiedlung, the aim of the project was to create a new neighbourhood centre with a mix of uses and housing and lifestyle options.

The elongated four-storey building shields the development and open spaces behind it from the noise of the Mittlerer Ring, whilst its seven-storey corner tower marks the entrance to the city from the east. Whilst shops and offices on the ground floor bring the street to life, the upper floors feature apartments offering views and a peaceful atmosphere.

Atrium flats and maisonettes with individual floor plans ranging from 1.5 to 5 rooms offer living space for a wide variety of lifestyles and achieve a standard of quality that is exceptional for social housing. The balanced mix of privacy and semi-public spaces, as well as residential and commercial use, continues to work effectively to this day.

The architecture is deliberately kept simple and robust. The project demonstrates how compact buildings with a mixed-use programme can strengthen vibrant urban neighbourhoods.

Not spectacular, but simply a matter of course.

Competition: 1st prize, 2003

Award: Nomination for the BDA Bavaria Prize 2010

(re)visited – Projects from the zillerplus archive