TIMBER HIGHRISE MUNICH

MASTER THESIS / 2017

BERNHARD-BORST-PRIZE 2017 / TU MUNICH.

BAUNETZ CAMPUS MASTERS 2017 / 3RD PLACE.

The project situated in the north of Munich attempts to explore, identify and push the boundaries of multi-storey timber constructions.

The dynamic shape expresses both movement and progress and also tries to expand and illustrate the design possibilities of modern wooden construction methods. In terms of urban planning and development, the building enqueues with an existing ensemble of high-rise buildings along an important east-west axis.

The volume distances itself from the traffic in the south and west and opens up towards existing working and living areas in the north. The result of this urban orientation is a courtyard that acts as a central buffer and connection between the surrounding living and working spaces of this relatively young part of town called “Parkstadt Schwabing”. This open public space creates a new meeting, orientation, and reference point for the district and improves the poor present social infrastructure that has not developed in the same pace as the erected structures in this area.

The ground floor generates – together with the two basement floors – a solid base on which the lightweight wood-concrete-composite construction is being stacked. A core made of reinforced concrete going through all stories stiffens the construction of the building and serves as a support for the ceiling elements.

The goal was to develop a constructively reasonable and statically pre-dimensioned structure that is contrary to and unlike the surrounding high-rise buildings but still is achievable, realistic and aesthetically appealing at the same time. Renewable resources are replacing conventional and non-environmentally friendly materials wherever it is possible and reasonable in this project. Not only the ecologically aware choice of materials but also an adaptable and versatile inner organization impart sustainability and flexibility to the building. 

The opportunities of timber as a construction material in our building industry are very far from being fully exhausted and utilized. This project wants to give a glimpse of what is possible if building regulations were as far developed as the minds of our society and the construction material itself. The urge for sustainability has grown in recent years and a revolution of the way we build our cities is ahead of us.