Herzog & De Meuron has unveiled the masterplan for the 87,000 square metre Paketposthalle (parcel post hall) area. Commissioned to develop an urban study outlining a holistic concept that would incorporate landscape, infrastructure and housing, the Basel-based firm proposes to transform the historically listed 19,000 square metre landmark building from the 1960s into an urban, inner-city quarter with a mix of housing, business premises and spaces for social and cultural activities.

Unveiled to the public on 26 July 2019, the new masterplan by Herzog & De Meuron envisages placing two towers of around 155 metres high with a geometric form derived from the sweeping curve of the Paketposthalle roof, thereby creating a specific point of reference within the city. A district of six-storey courtyard buildings will be placed around the central hall to offer spaces for housing and commercial use, contrasting the scale of the hall and towers while forming a dense, flexible urban context. Currently, a development plan setting out the legal framework is being devised for the new quarter, while the Paketposthalle will continue to be used as a postal facility until 2023.

“The Paketposthalle is an extraordinary example of engineering, which will be open to guests and the residents of Munich in its new function as a place of culture and encounter,” noted Jacques Herzog, founding partner at Herzog & De Meuron. “It will become the nucleus of a new, dense and mixed neighbourhood, like the one in the centre of the city.”

Via designboom | Images courtesy of Herzog & De Meuron