WO.NA – Wohntraum Fürstenried residential quarter, Munich (DE)
Neighbourhood Development,
Subsidised housing ,
Timber construction,
New building
Client: Wohnungsgenossenschaft München-West eG
Lead of competition process: Dragomir Stadtplanung GmbH
Architecture: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Landscape architecture: Ursula Hochrein – lohrer.hochrein landschaftsarchitekten und stadtplaner gmbh
Multiple Assignment: 2025, 1st position
Programme: Approx. 440 housing units, day-care and Kindergarten, small businesses
Renderings and plans: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Team: Fredi Botz, Carolin Meyer, Moritz Schineis, Annika Steinberger, Carlos Meza, Michael Sohm, Christian Porath, Larissa Stützle
Further development of a co-operative urban neighbourhood
The Wohnungsgenossenschaft München-West, a housing cooperative founded in 1911, is striving for a sustainable and modern neighbourhood development around an existing residential complex in the Fürstenried district of Munich. In the course of a multiple assignment competition for an urban development and open space planning concept, our design was highly convincing. Our idea, developed in collaboration with lohrer hochrein landscape architects and urban planners, aims to strengthen the community values that underpin the cooperative, as well as to promote circular construction methods with great consideration for the existing natural environment.
The current situation consists of four elongated terraced buildings from the 1960s and two solitaire buildings added in 2019, spread across an area of around 2 hectares between Forstenrieder Allee, Schaffhauser Strasse and Winterthurer Strasse in the south-west of the state capital. In order to meet the housing needs of its members and to further develop its offering in a way that is suitable for all generations and future-proof, the cooperative wants to rethink the neighbourhood. Classic redensification, for example by adding additional storeys, is not possible due to structural defects and the contaminated building fabric of the terraced buildings. The planned new development in several construction phases is intended to expand the offering from 240 to around 440 residential units and create a diverse, liveable neighbourhood that promotes sustainability and community.
Diversely activated spaces
Our proposal follows the basic idea and footprint of the existing row development in order to preserve the valuable tree population on the site and the green space qualities as much as possible. At the same time, the design breaks up the closed structures and creates a finer parcelling that allows for new passageways. Therefore, it significantly activates open and intermediate spaces. This creates places for community.
Seven compact rectangular buildings with up to seven floors are spread across the site and are complemented by a tower block as the new entrance to the area in the east. The ground floors serve as open interfaces to the neighbourhood. They offer a variety of everyday uses, from small businesses with cafés to guest apartments, a daycare centre and common rooms, as well as hybrid spaces such as laundry rooms that can also be used as co-working spaces. A mobility station and bicycle repair shop, the integrated neighbourhood pavilion with kitchen, and outdoor meeting and recreation areas strengthen the spaces in between and promote a concept of short distances – with plenty of room for exchange, community and activity.
WO.NA stands for ‘Wohnen in Nachbarschaft’ (living in neighbourhood). The project name emphasises community, diversity and the principle of short distances as the basis for a connected, urban neighbourhood.
Modular and circular construction methods
In line with our conviction to minimise the impact of construction on the natural environment and to design architecture in a foresighted and responsible manner, a modular timber construction is planned for the new buildings. Components and materials should be assembled in such a way that they can be dismantled and returned to the cycle. Serial construction using prefabricated timber frame elements for the majority of the structure will allow the individual construction phases to be carried out in a time-, cost- and resource-efficient manner, while also taking the existing residents into consideration. A small-scale grid allows for subsequent adjustments and allows for the desired variety of apartment sizes. Two types of access, including access balconies, as well as rhythmic incisions and heterogeneous shapes, are based on the urban context and the respective location within the ensemble of buildings. The residential blocks also open onto communal roof gardens, which in turn break up the strictly geometric design and functionally enrich the neighbourhood.
The cooperative plans to initially implement the first construction phase in the north in accordance with the special planning concept of ‘Gebäudetyp E’. The alternative planning approach allows for a legally compliant deviation from excessive standards and promotes resource-saving and sustainable architecture. In addition, the urban design and open space planning concept are intended to create a climate-friendly neighbourhood that follows the sponge city principle, promotes biodiversity and creates urban fresh air corridors. A versatile mobility concept and sustainable energy solutions with photovoltaic roofs to supplement the existing connection to the district heating network are further components of this future-oriented neighbourhood.
