Herzog & de Meuron - Fünf Höfe. Five Business Passages in Munich

Fünf Höfe. Five Business Passages in Munich

Munich, Germany, 1994/2003  [Competition. First Prize]

More than any other German city, Munich has cultivated a classical and classicist tradition, which accounts for the city's expansive Italianate air. The buildings erected after the war around the city block of  Theatinerstraße/Kardinal-Faulhaber-Straße are also faithful to this relatively conservative spirit. The project submitted in 1994 was based on the demolition of most of the buildings, as specified by the competition at that time, while in the newly initiated project of 1997 and 1998, most of the buildings and façades along the street have been preserved. The interior of the block will, however, be completely rebuilt as a series of courts of varying sizes and shapes with shops, restaurants and cafés. Through collaboration with artists, these  courts will each acquire a distinct character of their own, so that a stroll through the city block will become a pleasurably diversified urban experience. On one hand, the concept for the 'Five Courts' may be seen as a contemporary complement to the historical courts of the Residence, and on the other, as a European response to American shopping malls. .

Published in N.109/110 - Herzog & de Meuron

© 2016 EL CROQUIS S.L. Edición digital: ISSN 2174-0356