Ateliér Hild und K Architekten recently shaped the façade of an apartment building on Reichenbachstrasse in the center of Munich.

Instead of an eclectic renovation of the late Classicist façade, the architect designed the façade using wavy stripes. The multi-generational apartment building is located not far from Gärtenplatz square in a district that significantly influenced the development of the city in the 19th century and is now under overall heritage protection. The authors of the renovation had to deal with the legacy of historical heritage as well as the demands of modern life.

“The three-part layout of the façade corresponds to once-common means of shaping the façade through the so-called bossage. Various sized elements are portrayed in plaster with a fine relief in this case. The wavy stripes create impressive shadows in the sunlight. The original antiquizing 'heavy' bossage has now found itself in contrast with its movement. The playful treatment of the contrasting decorative motif of waves has also found its application in the quiet courtyard, where wavy balconies run across the entire width of the building, transitioning from narrow to wide, from private to public. Balconies are accessed through glass doors spanning the entire height of the floor, significantly improving the lighting inside the apartments.”

The spatial arrangement inside the house has been preserved. Apartment lighting has been enhanced through generous corridors. The building offers a charm typical of old constructions, which is highly sought after by contemporary Munich residents: large rooms with high ceilings, modern stucco on the walls and ceilings, wooden parquet floors, and double-winged doors.