Location
Munich, Germany
Typology
Mixed-use
Year
2022-2028
Status
in progress
Client
OPES Immobilien GmbH
Size
65,600 m² GFA | 13 ha
Read more
On the former Knorr-Bremse industrial site in Munich, a new urban quarter is taking shape that combines living, working and community life. The masterplan opens up an area that was long closed to the city and extends the urban fabric of the Olympic Park to the north. More than 1,000 residents will find homes here alongside offices, retail, restaurants, two day-care centres and a elderly residence, creating a socially mixed and multigenerational neighbourhood. A spacious central garden forms the heart of the development, improving the microclimate, counteracting overheating and providing a generous communal space.
Social equity is embedded in the design: 40% of the housing is subsidised or rent-capped, ensuring accessibility for a broad cross-section of the population. This mix strengthens cohesion and builds a lively, inclusive community. Environmental responsibility shapes every aspect of the scheme. PV on roofs and façades, smart district heating and cradle-to-cradle principles underpin a climate-neutral energy concept. The use of recycled concrete reduces emissions during construction, while green roofs, planted balconies and the central garden enhance biodiversity, filter dust and contribute to a resilient urban ecology. The result is not a settlement but a piece of the city, a long-term investment in sustainable, multigenerational living where social, ecological and architectural quality are inseparably linked.
Location
Munich, Germany
Typology
Mixed-use
Year
2022-2028
Status
in progress
Client
OPES Immobilien GmbH
Size
65,600 m² GFA | 13 ha
Read more
Oberwiesenfeld creates a new piece of Munich around a simple idea: the quality of urban life comes from what people share. Around 500 homes are combined with childcare, local shops, cafés and restaurants, healthcare, workplaces, community spaces and a care home to form a lively, socially mixed neighbourhood. A green centre, pedestrian connections and a varied sequence of buildings turn density into proximity, bringing different generations, lifestyles and income groups together in a place designed around everyday life. The urban structure balances the clarity of the perimeter block with greater openness towards the south. A more continuous edge defines the northern side, while individual buildings open the quarter towards the park and the Olympic grounds beyond. Building heights rise gradually from seven to fifteen storeys, creating a varied silhouette and allowing long views and visual permeability through the neighbourhood. At its centre, the Communal Garden forms a green heart, connected to a wider network of landscaped routes and open spaces. This spatial diversity is matched by a deliberate mix of people and uses. One to five bedroom homes, subsidised housing, price controlled and privately financed homes sit alongside apartments for smaller households and staff accommodation associated with the care facility. Two childcare centres and a care home bring the youngest and oldest members of the community into the same neighbourhood. The ambition is a quarter in which different phases of life can exist side by side, with equal access to shared spaces, amenities and opportunities for encounter. Daily life extends well beyond the individual apartment. Community rooms at the base of the residential buildings can accommodate activities ranging from meetings, homework support and libraries to cafés, workshops, sport and places simply to spend time together. A supermarket, smaller shops, medical practices, café and restaurant provide everyday services within walking distance. Ground floors therefore contribute directly to the life of the quarter, creating reasons to meet, linger and participate throughout the day. Affordable housing also raises a fundamental architectural question: how can we provide more with less? The answer lies in intelligence rather than excess. Repeating structural grids, rationalised geometries, prefabricated façade elements and standardised kitchens, bathrooms and building components reduce complexity and construction cost while maintaining spatial quality. Seriality becomes a tool for affordability, allowing resources to be concentrated where they have the greatest impact on everyday life, good proportions, daylight, balconies and terraces, generous shared spaces and a strong relationship with landscape.
Oberwiesenfeld creates a new piece of Munich around a simple idea: the quality of urban life comes from what people share. Around 500 homes are combined with childcare, local shops, cafés and restaurants, healthcare, workplaces, community spaces and a care home to form a lively, socially mixed neighbourhood. A green centre, pedestrian connections and a varied sequence of buildings turn density into proximity, bringing different generations, lifestyles and income groups together in a place designed around everyday life. The urban structure balances the clarity of the perimeter block with greater openness towards the south. A more continuous edge defines the northern side, while individual buildings open the quarter towards the park and the Olympic grounds beyond. Building heights rise gradually from seven to fifteen storeys, creating a varied silhouette and allowing long views and visual permeability through the neighbourhood. At its centre, the Communal Garden forms a green heart, connected to a wider network of landscaped routes and open spaces. This spatial diversity is matched by a deliberate mix of people and uses. One to five bedroom homes, subsidised housing, price controlled and privately financed homes sit alongside apartments for smaller households and staff accommodation associated with the care facility. Two childcare centres and a care home bring the youngest and oldest members of the community into the same neighbourhood. The ambition is a quarter in which different phases of life can exist side by side, with equal access to shared spaces, amenities and opportunities for encounter. Daily life extends well beyond the individual apartment. Community rooms at the base of the residential buildings can accommodate activities ranging from meetings, homework support and libraries to cafés, workshops, sport and places simply to spend time together. A supermarket, smaller shops, medical practices, café and restaurant provide everyday services within walking distance. Ground floors therefore contribute directly to the life of the quarter, creating reasons to meet, linger and participate throughout the day. Affordable housing also raises a fundamental architectural question: how can we provide more with less? The answer lies in intelligence rather than excess. Repeating structural grids, rationalised geometries, prefabricated façade elements and standardised kitchens, bathrooms and building components reduce complexity and construction cost while maintaining spatial quality. Seriality becomes a tool for affordability, allowing resources to be concentrated where they have the greatest impact on everyday life, good proportions, daylight, balconies and terraces, generous shared spaces and a strong relationship with landscape.
The quarter is organised around short distances and alternatives to the private car. The U3 underground line and several bus routes are within immediate reach, while local amenities reduce the need for everyday journeys. Cars are largely removed from the interior and accommodated in a single underground level. At the same time, almost 1,500 bicycle spaces, dedicated bicycle ramps, cargo bike parking and mobility rooms establish cycling as part of the basic infrastructure of the neighbourhood. This combination allowed the required number of parking spaces to be reduced by 50 per cent.
Landscape provides another layer of shared infrastructure. Large trees, lawns, play areas and places to sit create environments for different ages and patterns of use. Native, heat and drought tolerant planting strengthens biodiversity and prepares the landscape for a changing climate. Green roofs and climbing vegetation extend this ecological network onto the buildings. A sponge city approach keeps rainwater on site through retention roofs, permeable surfaces and infiltration systems, making water available to planting while reducing pressure on municipal infrastructure.
The buildings extend this economy of means into their environmental performance. Compact volumes and highly insulated envelopes reduce energy demand and support the KFW QNG standard, while groundwater based heat pumps form the basis of the energy concept for much of the development. Photovoltaics on roof areas generate renewable electricity, and modular, prefabricated façade components reduce construction complexity, material waste and future maintenance effort. Green roofs and biodiversity roofs add further ecological value. Together, these measures link affordable housing with long term resource efficiency, combining lower energy demand, robust construction and responsible use of materials within one architectural logic.
Oberwiesenfeld proposes an urban village for contemporary Munich: dense enough to support services and public transport, diverse enough to sustain social life, and green enough to offer space for retreat, play and nature. Its quality comes from combining housing with the infrastructure of everyday life and from treating affordability as a design challenge rather than a limitation. The result is a neighbourhood built around proximity, participation and shared opportunity, a model in which living well depends less on individual consumption and more on the quality of the city immediately outside the front door.
The quarter is organised around short distances and alternatives to the private car. The U3 underground line and several bus routes are within immediate reach, while local amenities reduce the need for everyday journeys. Cars are largely removed from the interior and accommodated in a single underground level. At the same time, almost 1,500 bicycle spaces, dedicated bicycle ramps, cargo bike parking and mobility rooms establish cycling as part of the basic infrastructure of the neighbourhood. This combination allowed the required number of parking spaces to be reduced by 50 per cent.
Landscape provides another layer of shared infrastructure. Large trees, lawns, play areas and places to sit create environments for different ages and patterns of use. Native, heat and drought tolerant planting strengthens biodiversity and prepares the landscape for a changing climate. Green roofs and climbing vegetation extend this ecological network onto the buildings. A sponge city approach keeps rainwater on site through retention roofs, permeable surfaces and infiltration systems, making water available to planting while reducing pressure on municipal infrastructure.
The buildings extend this economy of means into their environmental performance. Compact volumes and highly insulated envelopes reduce energy demand and support the KFW QNG standard, while groundwater based heat pumps form the basis of the energy concept for much of the development. Photovoltaics on roof areas generate renewable electricity, and modular, prefabricated façade components reduce construction complexity, material waste and future maintenance effort. Green roofs and biodiversity roofs add further ecological value. Together, these measures link affordable housing with long term resource efficiency, combining lower energy demand, robust construction and responsible use of materials within one architectural logic.
Oberwiesenfeld proposes an urban village for contemporary Munich: dense enough to support services and public transport, diverse enough to sustain social life, and green enough to offer space for retreat, play and nature. Its quality comes from combining housing with the infrastructure of everyday life and from treating affordability as a design challenge rather than a limitation. The result is a neighbourhood built around proximity, participation and shared opportunity, a model in which living well depends less on individual consumption and more on the quality of the city immediately outside the front door.
