graft wins competition to renovate one of germany's oldest youth hostels

graft wins competition to renovate one of germany’s oldest youth hostels
all images courtesy of graft

based on the idea of ‘experiencing community’, german architecture studio graft has won a competition to redevelop and extend one of germany’s oldest youth hostels. located in munich, the building alludes to traditions of traveling, youthful curiosity and a thirst for encounter, while also facilitating spaces for exchange and communication. the main entrance will be relocated to winthirplatz square, where a large curvature in the glass façade opens, leading one into a two-story lobby and interior courtyard.

connecting the atrium, dining room and seminar rooms together, the interior also combines high-technology features with local wooden construction methods. the complex is big enough to host a number of visitors at the same time, turning the carved void into a lively and interactive space.

the robustly constructed and flexible hostel rooms look over the interior courtyard

‘community does not only take place in the built environment but also and increasingly in virtual spaces. therefore, the lobby is both formally and virtually a ‘cloud’, where simple devices support the interaction between the guests: a modern ‘black board’ of graphics, QR-codes, miniscreens and projections of maps, as well as facebook and twitter pages are part of this communication space.’ says graft.

the two-story ‘cloud’ lobby combines high-technology features with local construction methods

interior view of the proposed dining space

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