Now complete, Kap West provides Munich with a new architectural highlight. This unusual office block in the up-and-coming Am Hirschgarten district is earning praise for its characteristic design and particularly sustainable construction method. Notably, the architects for this LEED Gold-certified high-rise specified a particular WICONA unitised façade construction for the project’s 12,600 m2 façade area.
In the suburb of Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, a 7,300 m2 former industrial site (MK8) has been transformed to accommodate forward-looking residential and commercial properties – the new Am Hirschgarten district. And the most striking buildings in this urban planning district belong to the Kap West development, designed by Wiel Arets Architekten. This up-to-date office complex has set new standards for architectural design and the quality of both the location and its high quality indoor spaces. The two horseshoe-shaped main buildings are both topped by distinctive towers. The slightly taller 60 m south tower boasts an imposing overhang, cantilevered 18 m above the ground. This landmark, counter-rotated over the main building below, can be seen for miles around. The visionary concept of flexible, modern, futureproof working in an urban environment comes complete with a campus-like layout of open spaces, including green courtyards and roofs.
Intelligent unitised façade construction
The many requirements for Kap West’s façade made this a particular challenge. The client requested floor-to-ceiling window units with concealed opening vents and opening restrictors. Additional requirements included greater sound insulation, watertightness, air permeability and resistance to wind loads. The experts at Fassadentechnik Scharl (Ehingen) devised a curtain wall solution comprising a 220 mm-thick unitised façade with external horizontal and vertical pilaster strips (350, 550 and 750 mm wide). The unitised façade was based on WICONA’s highly thermally insulating WICLINE 75 evo aluminium window system. Construction firm Rupert App ensured the project requirements were met by reinforcing the exterior, using fixed lights, integrating guide rails for the solar shading devices, and adding brackets next to the mullions. ‘The three sealing planes are another special feature. The resulting, highly flexible system can easily accommodate relative floor deformations (+ 12 mm). The thin, very compact 12 mm Dekton façade panels made by Cosentino were hooked into the unitised and significantly modified façade panels using invisible aluminium anchors. Over 2,200 units – comprising window system, ventilation modules and curtain wall façade panels – were prefabricated and delivered to site. This ensured installation ran efficiently and met the tight project schedule. The whole concept was planned in depth with sustainability in mind, producing an impressive building complex.
Project details
Project: Kap West office and administration building (Munich)
Client: OFB Projektentwicklung GmbH (Frankfurt)
Designed by: Wiel Arets Architekten (Amsterdam)
Project by: HPP Architekten (Düsseldorf)
Façade planning: Fassadentechnik Scharl (Ehingen on the Danube)
Façade construction: Ruppert App GmbH & Co. (Leutkirch in the Allgäu)
Aluminium façade system: WICONA (Ulm)
