MVRDV has designed a six-storey office building for Rock Capital Group that continues the transformation of the Werksviertel neighbourhood, a previously rough area that has been transformed into a dynamic and popular work-play district in Munich, Germany, where it aims to instil a sense of lightness while expressing a clear synergy between work and play.

The project, in harmony with the history of the neighbourhood in which it is located and referencing the current balance between work and play in the area, reflects a new philosophy for new office spaces by emphasising the importance of collaboration, the bond between co-workers and the liberation from traditional desk work through a simple and flexible layout.

In an area where the mix of new buildings and transformations on industrial structures has given rise to an eclectic selection of architectural styles, MVRDV proposes to add a warm, playful and colourful accent through a cubic block clad in brick, while bringing a circular and sustainable approach to the building facades from a solution at the forefront of workplace trends, providing more freedom and fun.

The building incorporates different bricks recovered from nearby demolitions in the region, which are incorporated into a mosaic style that represents the origins of the environment and contrasts with the coloured tiles that make up the game façade, a contrast that is repeated in the interior offering an organising principle, where spaces are easily adaptable to the needs of the users.

MK 6 MONACO by MVRDV. Rendering by MVRDV

MK 6 MONACO by MVRDV. Rendering by MVRDV.

Project description by MVRDV

The evolution of the district that was once home to the Pfanni food factory has played a crucial role in the story of Munich. After Pfanni and other companies left the area in 1996, it became a gritty yet beloved area for nightlife and culture known initially as Kunstpark Ost, and later as the Kultfabrik. Since 2016 the area has been transformed into the Werksviertel Mitte, a dynamic, popular work-and-leisure district next to Munich’s East Station. MONACO taps into the spirit of this history with a building in two parts, referencing both the area’s current work-play balance and the colour and creative spirit of the Kultfabrik era. The building’s name is a reference to its location on Helmut-Dietl-Straße, which is named after the creator of German TV series Monaco Franze.

A six-storey cubic block clad in reclaimed brick forms the “work” portion of the concept, accommodating office spaces. On the north-eastern end, climbing its way up and over the aforementioned block, is the “play” section of the proposal. Clad in shingles in various shades of green and lilac, this part of the building features setbacks that maintain the required distance to the neighbouring building while creating a number of plant-covered outdoor terraces, which complement the communal functions taking place inside. The jauntily angled walls and large windows capture the best views of the district, and also help to create a more welcoming corner that helps to guide people into the triangular pocket park that will be developed behind the building.

While the Werksviertel Mitte’s mixture of new buildings and transformations of industrial structures has resulted in an eclectic selection of architectural styles, the materials of the district are more limited; glass, aluminium panels, and stucco predominate, typically in muted colours. The materials of MONACO are a response to this, adding a warm and playful, colourful accent while also bringing a sustainable, circular approach to the façades.

MK 6 MONACO por MVRDV. Visualización por MVRDV
MK 6 MONACO por MVRDV. Visualización por MVRDV.

The work portion of the design is clad in warm clinker brick, which will be reclaimed from demolitions taking place in the region. These different brick types will be incorporated in a patchwork style that clearly shows its origins from multiple older buildings. Meanwhile the play façade is made up of colourful shingles, 70 percent of which will be made by Pretty Plastic, an Amsterdam-based manufacturer that makes façade elements entirely from recycled plastic waste. This will be the first instance of a façade using Pretty Plastic in Germany, and required a significant research effort by MVRDV’s Climate team to ensure that the product was permissible within the bounds of Germany’s building codes.

“Our client Rock Capital Group wanted a building that was ahead of the curve on developing workplace trends. Especially in the post-pandemic years, bringing more freedom, flexibility, and fun to the workplace is growing in popularity. We asked ourselves, how do we make a building that accommodates and clearly expresses that idea? And how, at the same time, do we make a characteristic addition to the neighbourhood? With the contrasting shapes and materials of MONACO, we found the answers to those questions.”

Jacob van Rijs, MVRDV founding partner.

Inside, the same contrast offers an organising principle. The work section uses a straightforward layout, offering flexibility in the placement of partition walls so that the building can be easily adapted to the differing needs of tenants. Its neutral interior décor is complemented by the colourful pops in the interiors of the play section. Here, above the lobby on the ground floor are a forum space where lectures and idea-sharing can occur, a coworkers’ “biergarten” with a terrace, and reading rooms for more contemplative group activities. On the roof of the work block is a generous roof terrace and a multi-functional room with a view of the entire Werksviertel.

More information

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Architects
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MVRDV. Founding Partner in charge.- Jacob van Rijs. Director.- Sven Thorissen.

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Project team
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Jacob van Rijs, Sven Thorissen, Lennaart Sirag, Jitske Torenstra, Michael Mackinnon, Irech Castrejon, Brygida Zawadzka, Daniel Eichenberg, Alexander Forsch, Aleksandra Domian, Fady Yassa, Enrico Pintabona, Miguel Iracheta, Aleksandra Domian, Katarina Jovic.

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Collaborators
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Landscape architect.- Landschaftsarchitektur Huber.
Structural engineer, MEP, Building physics, & Fire Protection.- Seidl & Partner Gesamtplanung GmbH.
Cost Calculation.- Wenzl + Wenzl.

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Client
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Rock Office One GmbH.

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Area
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7,871 sqm.

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Dates
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Project.- 2021.

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Location
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Munich, Germany.

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Rendering
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MVRDV. Antonio Luca Coco, Pavlos Ventouris, Luana La Martina, Luca Piattelli, Stefania Trozzi.

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MVRDV was founded in 1993 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The practice engages globally in providing solutions to contemporary architectural and urban issues. A highly collaborative, research-based design method involves clients, stakeholders and experts from a wide range of fields from early on in the creative process. The results are exemplary, outspoken projects, which enable our cities and landscapes to develop towards a better future.

The products of MVRDV’s unique approach to design vary, ranging from buildings of all types and sizes, to urban plans and visions, numerous publications, installations and exhibitions. Built projects include the Netherlands Pavilion for the World EXPO 2000 in Hannover; the Market Hall, a combination of housing and retail in Rotterdam; the Pushed Slab, a sustainable office building in Paris’ first eco-district; Flight Forum, an innovative business park in Eindhoven; the Silodam Housing complex in Amsterdam; the Matsudai Cultural Centre in Japan; the Unterföhring office campus near Munich; the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam; the Ypenburg housing and urban plan in The Hague; the Didden Village rooftop housing extension in Rotterdam; the music centre De Effenaar in Eindhoven; the Gyre boutique shopping center in Tokyo; a public library in Spijkenisse; an international bank headquarters in Oslo, Norway; and the iconic Mirador and Celosia housing in Madrid.

Current projects include a variety of housing projects in the Netherlands, France, China, India, and other countries; a community centre in Copenhagen and a cultural complex in Roskilde, Denmark, a public art depot in Rotterdam, the transformation of a mixed use building in central Paris, an office complex in Shanghai, and a commercial centre in Beijing, and the renovation of an office building in Hong Kong. MVRDV is also working on large scale urban masterplans in Bordeaux and Caen, France and the masterplan for an eco-city in Logroño, Spain. Larger scale visions for the future of greater Paris, greater Oslo, and the doubling in size of the Dutch new town Almere are also in development.

MVRDV first published a manifesto of its work and ideas in FARMAX (1998), followed by MetaCity/Datatown (1999), Costa Iberica (2000), Regionmaker (2002), 5 Minutes City (2003), KM3 (2005), Spacefighter (2007) and Skycar City (2007), and more recently The Vertical Village (with The Why Factory, 2012) and the firm’s first monograph of built works MVRDV Buildings (2013). MVRDV deals with issues ranging from global sustainability in large scale studies such as Pig City, to small, pragmatic architectural solutions for devastated areas such as New Orleans.

The work of MVRDV is exhibited and published worldwide and has received numerous international awards. One hundred architects, designers and urbanists develop projects in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative design process which involves rigorous technical and creative investigation. MVRDV works with BIM and has official in-house BREEAM and LEED assessors.

Together with Delft University of Technology, MVRDV runs The Why Factory, an independent think tank and research institute providing an agenda for architecture and urbanism by envisioning the city of the future.

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