Winner of the German Urban Development Award 2023 THE WERKSVIERTEL PREVAILS AGAINST A TOTAL OF 50 APPLICANTS

How do urban planners and developers measure that they have been successful? By the increase in the value of the properties? By the turnover of retailers and restaurateurs? Or do they measure their success by the smiles on the faces of the people who visit, work or live in the district?

When the Werksviertel, in particular the Werksviertel-Mitte, was planned years ago, the aim was to turn a former industrial site into a vibrant part of the city. A place whose urban energy is palpable and engages and inspires people. It was to become a district with cultural, gastronomic and leisure facilities for everyone. It was to be a district with something going on around the clock.

Now, grand plans and noble intentions are no guarantee of positive project development. And yet we often end up with run-of-the-mill neighborhoods that are as predictable as they are interchangeable?

The past that inspires the future

The Werksviertel-Mitte is anything but predictable and interchangeable. Every weekday morning, young creatives, founders, artists and many other people flock to the former industrial buildings, which now house offices and studios of various sizes. Many stop for breakfast in one of the cafés in the district beforehand. A little later, the tourists set off to discover Munich from Werksviertel. Backpackers staying cheaply at the Wombats Hostel. Young couples who appreciate the uncomplicated style of the Gambino Hotel, or families who enjoy the comfort of an apartment in the Adina Hotel, the highest hotel in the city. The Werksviertel reaches its first real high point around lunchtime, when the whole world flocks to the more than 20 restaurants with their different themes. Later on, you might meet some people at the theater or at a concert, on a ride on the Ferris wheel, bouldering in the climbing hall or dancing in one of the many clubs.

If you sit down on Knödelplatz on a weekday, you can see how many different people come together here. The elderly people in poverty who are supported by the “Ein Herz für Rentner” association. The wheelchair fencers who run their Olympic base here. Artists and craftspeople. Business and party people. Founders as well as the employees of DAX companies who have their think tanks in the district.

They all sense that this place has a special layout because many of the old industrial buildings have not been demolished but have been completely renovated and put to new uses. You will marvel at the sheep grazing peacefully on a high alpine pasture set up on a roof. They admire the art – sculptures and street art – that is everywhere in public spaces. They praise the beer that comes from the neighborhood’s own brewery. They discover the district on foot, even if they have come by car, as the paths from the underground parking garages never end directly in the buildings, but always in the public space.

The tribute to Werksviertel by Marie-Theres Okresek, chair of the jury for the German Urban Development Award, could not have been more beautifully worded.

In Werksviertel, the plan for modern, lively and sustainable urban development has come to fruition. Because the planners and operators of the site have never lost sight of their goal and have remained consistent. Meanwhile, work is underway on the next milestone. Around 600 apartments for 2,000 people will be built in Werksviertel-Mitte alone in the coming years. Here, too, we are thinking holistically. Innovative building materials and processes will be used, as well as new forms of housing and new ways of living together.

Another lighthouse project planned for Werksviertel is the construction of a concert hall for Bavaria, which will be home to the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. The future chief conductor of the BRSO, Simon Rattle, recently emphasized this aspiration and wish once again. For the designers of the Werksviertel, being awarded the German Urban Design Award 2023 is both a confirmation and an incentive to keep finding exciting answers to the question: How do we want to live in the future?