Munich’s district Berg am Laim has an extensive history. Its name harks back to the area’s natural clay deposits (Lehm = clay) that were processed here in several brickworks from the 14th century onwards. These bricks were then used to build large sections of Munich’s city centre. Even today, the district still bears witness to this history, although the last brickworks closed in 1958 to make way for new urban planning. Industrial areas and commercial sites dominated Berg am Laim over a long period, but in recent years these have gradually been transformed into vibrant urban quarters such as Munich’s Werksviertel. This development has brought the city urgently needed living space and has also created modern, sustainable architecture on what was formerly industrial wasteland.

A similar development is currently evolving on the corner of St.-Veit-Straße/Truderinger Straße, which was the location of a legendary bastion of creative Munich entrepreneurship over many decades. In a converted sauerkraut factory, ski racer and film maker Willy Bogner built up a fashion empire based on a multi-discipline fusion of luxury, action and sports fashion. Since the company headquarters moved to a different site and the 12,000 m² premises were sold to UBM Development, urban planning in the local area has embraced a new chapter.

Residential quarter with hybrid timber design

Where Olympic teams and well-heeled winter sports enthusiasts used to find their fashionable outfits, the new urban quarter Timber Living will “offer a very pleasant environment and unusually high ecological standard”, according to Berlin architects zanderroth, who are responsible for the project. Construction work for 264 apartments will soon be underway on the site. And as the name implies, wood is playing a major role. Indeed, climate researchers such as Hans Joachim Schellnhuber have high hopes for this natural building material.

Although the construction sector is currently among the world’s biggest CO₂ emitters with its mineral bestsellers steel and concrete, timber is in a good position to counter this with its ecological benefits. Forests continuously regenerate themselves and trees lock up CO₂ from the atmosphere while they grow. If wood is used as a building material, the carbon is stored over long periods. At the same time, it also replaces other materials such as concrete and steel that would otherwise be used for construction. In other words, timber helps reduce a building’s grey emissions.

A wooden façade was the preferred choice because the regenerative building material used in this hybrid timber design also needed to define the outer appearance of the building, explains Maresa Maurin, who is responsible for the project at UBM Development Germany. “The use of timber for the construction is visible from outside on the vertical façade cladding in various shades of green.”

A green urban oasis

The design by zanderroth shows two parallel residential blocks with a connecting base on one side. As commercial space, this will be home to amenities such as a local store and a community mobility hub with EV charging and sharing facilities. A new child daycare centre will also be included in the property development, as planned by the city for a residential project of this size.

Between the two blocks, a private courtyard serves as an outdoor space where people can meet up, with a sustainable design concept by the landscape architects at Vulkan Landschaftsarchitektur. The architects at zanderroth observe: “The greened courtyard – a little ‘urban oasis’ – contributes to improving the microclimate with its planting and valuable evaporation areas.”

In keeping with the sustainable orientation of this construction project, no fossil fuels will be used. Instead, geothermal energy and photovoltaics serve as the basis for the neighbourhood’s energy supplies.

Residential construction at a low level

Timber Living is one of the few residential projects currently being realized in Munich. The rise in building and financing costs over recent years has been the main driver behind a new low in housing construction. This was one of the conclusions reached in a recent report published by the Department of Urban Planning and Building Regulations.

As a result, UBM Development is expecting a strong demand for the 204 condos and 60 rental apartments. “Timber Living enables us to not just provide urgently needed living space in Munich but also implement the highest ecological standards – this convinces owner-occupiers and investors alike,” says Thomas G. Winkler, CEO of UBM Development AG.

Although numerous service providers have settled in the district’s former industrial wastelands, Berg am Laim is equipped with everything that is needed for a modern residential quarter. Good transport connections, green space such as the Ostpark, and above all a fascinating combination of tradition and modern life are all available here.

Further evidence of this is provided by the urban redensification visible in the area, which has centuries of tradition. Beginning with the former sauerkraut factory, and followed by the illustrious fashion empire, the latest stage in its long history now boasts contemporary housing made with timber.

Text: Gertraud Gerst
Translation: Rosemary Bridger-Lippe
Visualizations: UBM Development / Bloomimages