Amidst Liefering's originally rural character, a faceless commercial zone has evolved over the years along the Munich Federal Highway. Instead of crafting urban spaces, the development consists of a contextless array of buildings. The MB110 | Bierbrunnen proj​ect bestows structure upon this faceless urban context.
The project site sits along the Munich Federal Highway between the 'Salzburg-Mitte' highway exit and the state border with Germany. Historically known as the 'Lieferinger Spitz', this location lies at the intersection of the Munich Federal Highway, Forellenweg, and Lieferinger Hauptstraße. Additionally, at this point, the four-lane road narrows to three lanes towards the Salzburg Mitte traffic junction. The area is characterized by heavy traffic and daily congestion along the main artery into and out of the state capital. To alleviate this situation, the state of Salzburg has expanded and filled the gap in the four-lane road between the Freilassing border and Salzburg Mitte. Accompanying the four car lanes are pedestrian and cycling paths on both sides, connecting Salzburg and neighboring Freilassing in Bavaria. To facilitate this, two of the three existing buildings on the site had to be demolished, and part of the land was ceded to the state.
The new building, taking shape in the form of an L-shaped volume, creates an architectural interplay between the urban commercial area, the heavily trafficked main road, and the smaller-scale single-family housing development behind it. The staggered floors terrace inwardly, focusing on the inner areas. By turning away from the street, noise and emission protection zones are created for the apartments. The positioning and arrangement of the volumes not only shield the apartments from the influences of the street but also improve conditions for the adjacent, smaller-scale neighborhood.
Towards the Munich Federal Highway and the intersection area, the building protrudes, defining the urban fabric along the traffic axis as a three-dimensional street space. The technically intricate cantilevers contribute to shaping a 'landmark' befitting this urbanistically relevant square. The urban edge of the adjacent property towards Freilassing is acknowledged and guided further along the street by a kink in the building. The volumes of the cantilever increase towards the intersection area and deliberately refrain from further bending towards the buildings on the other side of Forellenweg.
Additionally, the newly constructed pedestrian and cycle path is partially covered, creating a protected, gallery-like area for the ground floor commercial spaces. This enhances the overall attractiveness of the street and the quality of environmentally friendly mobility. The building is designed as a multifunctional urban house and encompasses several office units, commercial spaces, and 34 apartments. A 20-year-old existing building was partially overlaid up to the third full floor.
The mobility concept developed as part of the project, along with the nearby bus stop, offers building users numerous options for using low-emission modes of transportation as a simple alternative to cars. The construction of this project enables the expansion of the Munich Federal Highway by an additional lane for motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians on both sides of the road, which would not otherwise be possible due to the positioning of the existing buildings on the future traffic area.
Originally, the three plots were nearly completely sealed for parked vehicles and possessed hardly any green space. As part of the extensive densification, the exterior areas were designed to incorporate significantly more green spaces than before. Thus, two rows of trees were planted, and on the side facing away from the street, the building volume escalates with vertical gardens up to the rooftop garden. This serves as a viewing platform on two levels, offering sightlines to the mountains and the historic city center. In combination with the two water features in the public square and the beer garden, as well as the bright surfaces, the Bierbrunnen makes a significant contribution to reducing local heat islands. Text description by the architects.
