The news about the residential complex at Genter Straße 13 and other houses is not very positive for residents, officials and politicians. For two and a half years, groundwater has been pushing upwards and flooding underground car parks and basements. It has not yet been conclusively clarified what the causes are and who has to pay for the repair of the damage. In the case of Genter Strasse, monument protection also plays a role, as does a great honor that was bestowed on the facility this weekend.
The Association of German Architects (BDA) honored exemplary contributions to architecture and urban development at a ceremony in Nuremberg. There was a sculpture of the goddess of victory Nike. The main prize went to the Jewish Museum in Frankfurt am Main by Staab Architekten, Berlin. The residential complex at Genter Strasse 13, completed in 1972 by Otto Steidle with Doris and Ralph Thut, received the special “Classic Nike” award for projects that have stood the test of time.
50 years ago, seven terraced houses of a special kind were built on the area between the Isarring, Nordfriedhof and Englischer Garten. At that time, prefabricated concrete parts were used, which are usually only used for industrial halls, schools or administrative complexes. Applying it to housing was something spectacularly new and an anticipation of today’s modular construction. The construction principle made it possible for the future residents to determine the size and position of the rooms individually. Even after moving in, you could change the living situation according to your needs.
The construction principle enables residents to change the size and location of their rooms.
(Photo: Archive Klaus Kinold)
The BDA jury judged that the robust basic structure made of concrete elements, the simplicity of the varied expansion, the economy of means and the active participation of the residents made the group of buildings on Genter Straße a model for sustainable housing construction. Bay windows, loggias and terraces were formed through the staggered levels, as well as a lively play with glass surfaces.
The renowned Munich architect Otto Steidle died in 2004. The successor office, Steidle Architekten, still has its offices on Genter Strasse to this day. “We value the transparency and flexibility of the listed building,” says Johann Spengler, one of the office’s managing partners. Now there is a lot of discussion about flexible working environments again, so the Steidle complex is once again topical. The ingress of water in the cellars is not due to the architectural concept, says Spengler: “There were no problems for decades, only after a rain outlet channel was built nearby and an underground reservoir was created.”
The Classic Nike has so far been awarded by the BDA to the Memorial Church in Berlin, to Berlin-Tegel Airport and to the buildings in Munich’s Olympic Park. “We are very pleased that we stand in a row with such masterpieces,” says Spengler. The flooding on Genter Strasse is currently causing a stir. But architecture experts keep coming to visit, who get a lot of inspiration for the construction of modern residential complexes here.