Description

This is the third housing project by the wagnis eG housing co-op association and comprises five buildings containing a total of 100 partially subsidised and partially privately financed residential units. It lies on the east edge of the city of Munich, just south of the trade fair in a district characterised by large-scale urban structures. Each of the buildings contains apartments of different sizes, layouts and typologies, with different means of access. The central design idea is to create opportunities for social interaction and communal activities, both among the residents themselves as well as with the surrounding neighbourhood. To this end, various communal facilities have been incorporated at different levels. A two-storey café and a neighbourhood centre are located near to the entrances to the complex. Each building is an independent unit and has its own communal areas with a specific character and local functions. The buildings are connected by a system of access routes, including raised walkways between the upper storeys that lead to spacious entrance niches. They create a transitional zone between the building and its neighbours and, together with the communally used areas along the gallery walkways, provide opportunities for chance encounters and informal chats between neighbours. The private outdoor areas include balconies and terraces, which can be adapted according to personal tastes and needs.

Among the aims of the co-op association is the creation of self-organised communities that provide multigenerational living environments founded on mutual support and solidarity. The basis and core of the community-oriented housing project is the joint, participative design and development of the housing complex together with the architects. Involving residents from an early stage in the planning process makes it possible to design vibrant neighbourhoods in which interaction, mutual support, sharing, learning and celebrating are as much part of the concept as the need for private personal space.

The initiative for the project came from the young housing co-op association wagnis. The concept comprises a mix of apartment types suitable for different age groups and households, whether singles or families, with a strong focus on creating active links with the local neighbourhood. Following a resolution by the co-op association’s management and supervisory boards in summer 2006, a core group of interested participants formed with the intention of jointly realising the project. The group grew bit by bit as a result of advertising, information evenings and organised trips to the site.

As part of the urban redevelopment of the site of the former Munich-Riem airport, the City of Munich designated two plots for subsidised and privately financed cooperative housing projects. Through a council resolution, the site was awarded to wagnis. A small architecture competition was then organised for the design of the building.

The project initiation, procurement of the site and the architecture competition took place in 2006. All of the future residents were involved in the planning process from the outset through meetings and workshops. A condition of participation was that the residents take part in the work and project groups, for example on the design of the outdoor areas, the communal spaces, financing, by providing labour and helping with project organisation. The results of the group work fed back into the planning process. The residents were also given the opportunity to discuss the apartment layout and their preferences for materials and finishes. Meetings of individual groups as well as full sessions took place every four weeks, and workshops and site visits as required, roughly every three months.

To reduce the risk of ghettoisation and to attract a broad range of interest groups, the housing co-op association aimed to fund its projects, including wagnis 3, through a mix of different sources of funding and finances. This results in a range of similarly appointed apartments under one roof that have been funded through different channels. For the purchase of the site, a special three-way concept was devised including private income-oriented contributions, funding through the “Munich Model Co-op Associations” programme and regular bank loans. Consequently, about two-thirds of the apartments have been funded through public loans and one-third through private capital. The development of the energy concept was also funded through a further source of public funding.

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Originally published in: Annette Becker, Laura Kienbaum, Kristien Ring, Peter Cachola Schmal, Bauen und Wohnen in Gemeinschaft / Building and Living in Communities, Birkhäuser, 2015.