Everything you need to know about Werksviertel-Mitte
The Werksviertel-Mitte is one of the most exciting urban development projects in Germany and Europe. Living, working, entertainment, art and culture merge into a unique urban community in the east of Munich, where great architecture as well as digital, creative and artistic innovations naturally find their place. How does this work? It has to do with the special philosophy of neighborhood development and management.
Living, living, working – all in one place
The entire Werksviertel is the size of 54 soccer pitches and is being developed jointly by nine different owners. They are all united by one idea: the Werksviertel is to be a lively and liveable place in which the areas of living, living, working and moving are completely reconnected. Why? For example, to bring together as many different people as possible in Werksviertel, because being different and new inspires each and every one of us. In addition to apartments, several hotels have also been built in the area, which are a port of call for people from all over the world. An innovatively networked urban district enables residents and visitors to cover many distances on foot. This reduces traffic, is healthy and good for the environment. The Werksviertel-Mitte is so named because it is located right in the middle of the new city quarter. With its lively gastronomic and cultural scene and leisure facilities, it is the heart of the new urban quarter in the east of Munich.
From industrial area to creative quarter
In the past, there used to be one factory after another at Munich Ostbahnhof. The Pfanni dumpling production halls, for example. The Optimol oil works, where lubricants were produced. After the war, the Konen clothing store was able to bundle its production sites, which were spread all over Munich, here. And the Zünder-Apparatebau-Gesellschaft, better known as Zündapp, built motorcycles here. In the 1980s and 1990s, the industries moved away and the question arose as to what should happen to the site. As a development and building plan like this is not created overnight and planning permission also takes a while, the period of interim use began. And that meant: party alert! Numerous clubs set up shop in Kunstpark Ost and later in the Kultfabrik, bringing Munich’s nightlife out of its slumber. Artists and creatives found affordable studios and workshops here. Together, they shaped a spirit that can still be felt in Werksviertel today.
The philosophy of the Werksviertel-Mitte
The most important design standard of Werksviertel-Mitte is suitability for great-grandchildren. We want future generations to still feel at home in our neighborhood in 222 years’ time and enjoy living, working and spending their leisure time here. When we look to the future, we always keep our past in mind. Only those who know where they come from know where they should go. The philosophy of Werksviertel-Mitte is therefore to make the history of the site visible and tangible even today. To achieve this, the majority of the old industrial buildings were preserved, completely renovated and given new functions. Loft offices were created in the former factories, and space was created for live stages, exceptional gastronomy, artists’ studios, start-ups and social projects. In this way, the soul of the area was to be preserved. And indeed, the Werksviertel-Mitte already feels very different to visitors today than if all the buildings had been demolished and rebuilt.
Sustainability as the basis for action
However, the preservation of the old industrial buildings has another purpose. Sustainability also plays a major role in the planning and design of the Werksviertel-Mitte. Our cities must function sustainably in the future. And that doesn’t just start with the maintenance of a building, but with its construction. In the Werksviertel-Mitte, for example, almost 73 million megajoules of gray energy were saved by consciously preserving the historic building fabric. This corresponds to around two thirds of the annual energy requirement in Werksviertel-Mitte.
CO2 savings are also one of the goals behind the development of urban agriculture in the vicinity of Werksviertel-Mitte. The short transportation distances of just eight minutes by car create a hyperlocal cycle between production and consumption. The district’s decentralized energy supply via a combined heat and power plant also helps to save resources. The higher efficiency in electricity generation and the consistent implementation of sector coupling between electricity, heating and cooling have a positive effect here. Thanks to the decentralized energy supply, the Werksviertel-Mitte can create its own attractive offers for electromobility. This includes its own eCarsharing fleet as well as the conversion of service vehicles in facility management to electric drives.
The greening of the Werksviertel-Mitte is designed to be bird and insect-friendly. There are permanent and alternating wetlands, special nesting hedges, so-called Benjes hedges, insect hotels, nesting boxes integrated into the facades and a bird call system to attract birds to the neighborhood. A research project with the Technical University of Munich is investigating which planting has a particularly positive effect on the occurrence of insects and thus on biodiversity in general. The social focus of sustainability comes into play at Werksviertel-Mitte, for example in the Almschule. This educational initiative for children and young people is located on the green roof of WERK3. It not only passes on knowledge about environmental and climate protection, sustainable agriculture or topics such as exercise and healthy eating, it also mediates between the generations and promotes an exchange of know-how and experience. Sustainable considerations will also be constantly incorporated into the future development of the neighborhood.
Gastronomic diversity
Diversity is also the motto that is lived out in the restaurants in the city quarter. Anyone coming to Werksviertel-Mitte will encounter a gastronomic variety that is second to none: a mixture of small snack bars, cafés, elegant bars and classic restaurants can be found right next to clubs and indie hotspots. All of this adds up to a diverse and dynamic gastronomic offering that is constantly looking to the future.
Numerous cultural and leisure activities
In addition to the clubs, the Werksviertel-Mitte also provides entertainment on various live stages. Musicals, comedy and off-stage productions are performed at the WERK7 theater. The TonHalle and Technikum invite you to a wide variety of cultural events. In summer, the open-air stage on Knödelplatz entertains audiences with concerts, cabaret and children’s programs. Curated exhibitions take place in the WhiteBOX. Numerous walls and surfaces in the area are constantly being redesigned by street artists. In Heavens Gate, a climbing and bouldering hall, you can climb routes up to 30 meters high in the old potato flour silos. A fitness studio and a parkour hall can also be found in Werksviertel-Mitte. And then there is the new concert hall of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, which is also in the planning stage. It is the keystone in the connection between subculture and high culture, which is lived in Werksviertel-Mitte as a matter of course and which is characterized by mutual inspiration.
With all its offers for the most diverse age groups and social classes, the Werksviertel-Mitte is not only unique in Munich. It is a sustainably designed urban quarter full of joie de vivre and a trend-setting model for future urban development projects.
Werksviertel facts:</strong
Area: 39 hectares (Werksviertel), Werksviertel-Mitte approx. 10 hectares
Building plot: 29 hectares
Public spaces: approx. 4 hectares
Werksviertel park: approx. 2 hectares
Mobility infrastructure: approx. 5 hectares
Workplaces: approx. 7000
Residences: approx. 1150 (600 in Werksviertel-Mitte)
Expected residents: approx. 3000
