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Villa Rhenania (i1), Munich

In 2001, an urban development competition was held to develop an overall concept for the Werksviertel Munich East district. The result is a quarter for living and working, for leisure and culture. The development includes plans for 1,150 new flats, the potential for up to 7,000 new jobs and construction of a concert hall, as well as a park serving as the green heart of the district.

In 2017, a second planning competition was launched with the goal of preparing the historic industrial area of Munich’s Werksviertel for the work models of tomorrow while preserving its lively character. The focus of the iCampus planning competition was the renovation and modernisation of the historical building Villa Rhenania by integrating its design and utilisation in the overall surroundings. The two new buildings i2 and i3, which stand in direct relation to Villa Rhenania (i1), were built based on the design from the winning architecture firm Henn GmbH; renovation of the listed Villa Rhenania was carried out by Landau + Kindelbacher Architekten und Innenarchitekten GmbH. The design of Villa Rhenania had to combine a conference area with new office spaces in the charm of the historic setting, while also contrasting with the modern building.

The area behind the East Station around Friedenstrasse 22 was sold to Rhenania-Speditions-GmbH in 1920 by the “Bayerische Handelsbank München”, which acquired the building around 1871 from the “Steinerschen Wagonfabrik”.

The two-storey neoclassical building with a hipped roof was constructed around 1920 as an administrative centre of the Rhenania shipping company and is listed as a historical building (D-1-62-000-1880). Its importance is explained by two factors: Not only is it one of the few buildings from this development period that have survived; the precision of the pilaster structure and the Mercury relief in the tympanum above the entrance are also noteworthy. Stone or cast concrete rosettes are affixed near the relief.

The building was constructed facing west in the 1920s style. The interior is dominated by a central stairwell opening axially from Friedenstrasse and a rear entrance, as well as virtually symmetrical rooms on both sides.

The building has a well-lit basement storey and a raised ground floor with a clear room height of 3.70 metres. The raised ground floor is divided by pilaster strips between the window axes. They support the architrave of the upper storey, which has a much more subdued décor. The projecting portal of the raised ground floor is the main feature of the building. It surrounds the main portal and two window axes. The vertical axis of the portal features a widened window on the upper storey. Coats of arms are placed to the right and left.

Task

Renovation and conversion of a listed building from 1920 into a contemporary office property.

Client: R&S Immobilienmanagement GmbH
Architecture: Landau + Kindelbacher
Area: 1.850 sq. m. goss floor space

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