façade of MVRDV's WERK12 complex in munich will feature 5-meter-tall exclamations

MVRDV has begun construction on ‘WERK12’, a mixed-use office, culture, and entertainment complex in munich. sited in close proximity to the german city’s east railway station, the 9,600-square-meter development is characterized by an expressive façade, which features 5-meter-high letters that serve as a nod to the area’s graffiti culture. the project will form part of a 40-hectare masterplan that aims to create around 1,200 new homes and up to 7,000 new jobs. WERK12 will contain loft-style offices, restaurants, a swimming pool, and sports and entertainment facilities.

all images © MVRDV

commissioned by OTEC, WERK12’s defining feature is the bold lettering that spells out words such as ‘AAHHH’, ‘OH’, and ‘WOW’ on its façade. designed by local artists engelmann and engl, the exclamations intend to display the emotional qualities of the building. at night, the phrases will be illuminated in different colors while the transparent elevations offering views of the structure’s inner workings.

a swimming pool is located on the third storey

‘WERK12 is totally unique and entirely new for munich and is a strong contrast to the historic center just ten minutes away,’ explains jacob van rijs, MVRDV co-founder. ‘it is a flexible and completely user adaptable building with spaces that can transform over time with bold and expressive texts on the façade are visible from a distance… this transparent building becomes a new focal point on the new plaza that will form the heart of the werksviertel.’

the project is scheduled to complete by february 2019

MVRDV and co-architect N-V-O sought to create a new building suited to different users, which maintained the well-lit and airy industrial spaces. by wrapping the main circulation route around the entire building, floor area is freed up internally for a range of flexible spaces. the staircase is linked to wide terraces that surround each floor allowing for shading, outdoor activities, and circulation. all five floors have a ceiling height of more than five meters, with the swimming pool located on the third storey. construction began in early november 2017 with a completion date set for february 2019.

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project info:

design MVRDV: winy maas, jacob van rijs and nathalie de vries
design team: jacob van rijs, fokke moerel, markus nagler, roy sieljes and jonathan schuster
visualization: antonio luca coco, pavlos ventouris and kirill emelianov

partners
co-architects: N-V-O nuyken von oefele architekten BDA, munich
artwork commission: christian engelmann and beate engl
images: MVRDV
structural engineering: wolf +
MEP: teuber + viel