iCampus Rhenania Has Opened in Munich

The office complex iCampus Rhenania, designed by HENN, has opened in Munich, Germany.

The ensemble of two new buildings surrounding an existing villa employs the design idea of an “urban village” to transform the area into an innovative place of new working and living in the eastern part of Munich.

HENN’s design won an architectural competition with seven invited offices in 2018.

After two years of construction, a diverse tenant base – from small start-ups to international commercial enterprises – has moved into the campus.

In the new Werksviertel located in the east of Munich, where mashed potatoes, motorcycles and men’s suits were once manufactured and party people were out and about in Kunstpark Ost and Kultfabrik, a new urban neighborhood providing a high level of social diversity opened.

Prominently situated with a view opening towards the Ostbahnhof station, the striking iCampus Rhenania complex of office buildings invites passersby into the neighborhood.

The two new buildings feature a black façade and loft-like windows reminiscent of the industrial heritage of the location.

They are grouped around a listed villa – the former administrative building of the Rhenania freight forwarding and relocation company dating back to the 1920s.

In keeping with the community approach, the design of the campus plaza located in the center of the ensemble resembles an “urban village.”

Outdoor seating areas in front of various restaurants and cafés, long wooden benches under trees and green roof terraces create a place where people enjoy working and spending their spare time.

In the era of agile teams and working from home, the building complex provides maximum flexibility: The structure and location of the development cores makes it possible to alter the layout of the floors by placing modules individually or linking them together.

Thanks to this versatility, iCampus Rhenania can accommodate businesses of varying sizes and with different requirements in respect of their office layout.

The complex blends harmoniously into its urban context.

The small-scale development along Friedenstrasse replicates the scale of the seemingly contradictory neoclassical villa, creating a natural transition to the other iCampus buildings and the entire surrounding Werksviertel neighborhood.

The black color of the façade was developed specifically for this project in a Swiss laboratory.

The yellow and golden iron mica it contains lends warmth, friendliness and, depending on the sunlight, a shimmering depth to the buildings.