Outdoor facilities for the Technical City Hall of the City of Munich, Friedenstraße

Framed by the clearly structured metal and glass façades of the seven to eight-storey building, the character of the outdoor facilities of the Technical Town Hall is shaped by the architecture surrounding it. The landscape architectural design of the inner courtyard continues the statement of the building - the open space follows strict geometric rules. The more than 80 newly planted trees take up the axes of the building and thus create references between the interior and exterior spaces, a plane tree roof continues the glass-covered entrance hall extending over eight storeys into the open space, linear hedge bands have a space-creating effect and define pathways within the enclosed garden courtyard. The reference to architecture becomes almost tangible in the art installation "Courtyard in the Wind" by the New York artist Vito Acconci. The dominant focal point in the courtyard, a twenty-story tower that marks the northwest corner of the roughly square site, is linked to the exterior. The energy provided by a wind turbine installed on the tower sets in motion a landscape ring mounted on rails in the courtyard, causing trees, pavers, lawns, benches, and lamps to move one revolution an hour. The installation is part of the concept of perceiving the courtyard as a landscaped image when looking out of the numerous office windows. To define the outdoor space at different levels, all the roofs, some of which can be seen from the upper floors, have been extensively and some intensively landscaped.

Text: Nicolette Baumeister in 'Neue Landschaftsarchitektur', Berlin 2006.