Munich
1994 - 1999
This new building for the Max Planck Society is an important and architecturally prominent element in the neighborhood of the Court Garden, the Bavarian State Chancellery and the Royal Stables Building. The glass building places a conscious and thoughtful contrast to these historically significant buildings. The newly developed two-skin facade surrounds the building transparently. The structural conditions of the site provide the architectural guiding theme: two U-shaped buildings gather the historical building lines and define new urban spaces.
The tension of the two divergent lines is addressed in the building's interior. Triangular atriums covering the full height of the building provide access to all offices. The "stairway to heaven" in the entrance hall puts emphasis on the site's dynamics, it links all floors and connects the hallways.
The glass-covered halls form meeting areas for nearly 500 employees working in the headquarter and in-house research institute. The halls are also hosting larger events.
At Marstallplatz Max Planck Society comes in contact with the public. Both the reading room of the Research Institute and the conference center are located at ground-level and are open to the court. The conference hall arches emblematically behind the glass facade.