Discover Germany | Architecture Special
Arnulfpost München.
Loft in Zürich. Jugendstilsanierung am Harras, München.
CONTEXT AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT INSPIRE MODERN ARCHITECTURE
“My office covers all stages of architecture and advises clients on topics like sustainability, energy efficiency, fire and construction site safety,” says architect Christian Sandweger. This also includes feasibility studies and questions about the protection of historic buildings. This was important for a project in the centre of Munich: an Art Nouveau complex with rich ornaments, consisting of five houses, built in 103 by Michael Utschneider. For 50 years it had only been superficially maintained before arcs architekten brought back its original glory. The restoration in the original form made consultations with the according authorities necessary. Near Starnberg the architects built a spacious villa constructed from wood
34 | October 2021 | Issue 86
replacing a home from the 1950s. With an open layout and a light-flooded courtyard at the centre the architecture is cozy and modern. “The cubic architecture varies views into and out of the building and thus creates an interesting play between indoors and outdoors,” Christian Sandweger explains. The arrangement – open towards the garden and closed towards the road – creates highest-quality living. “The location is the starting point for many questions. A building at a lake for example is dominated by the surrounding nature and therefore must be subdued. A loft is the opposite because it is mainly focused on the interior and works with history”, says Sandweger. At the Lübbesee near
Berlin a minimalist concrete bungalow combines cold concrete with warm wooden surfaces, while optically focusing on the lake outside. In contrast, the architects refurbished a cotton mill in Zurich, using materials with relation to the building’s history. Christian Sandweger’s current favourite is the redevelopment of a Munich landmark, the Arnulfpost, because it combines different building challenges: space limits, the combination of old and new, a listed building and highest quality standards. The goal is a new Google Campus in a historic environment.
www.arcs.de
TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN I PHOTOS: ANTJE HANEBECK
arcs architects offer an encompassing architectural approach ranging from conceptual architecture to interior construction. Architect Christian Sandweger and his team are specialists for residential and social buildings, no matter if newly-build objects or the renovation of historic buildings. The projects reach from family homes in rural environments to modern lofts in listed architecture.