SKYGARDEN offices complex, Munich, Germany 

A new city district along the railway line in the centre of Munich has emerged in the shape of Arnulf Park. Located directly adjacent to Hacker Bridge, the SKYGARDEN offices complex of CA Immo and OFB Projektentwicklung, designed by the architectural practice Bothe Richter Teherani, is part of this development. Nested cubes with different heights, widths and proportions guarantee an open style of architecture with projections and returns plus remarkable views. Spacious atria and other glazed areas are distributed throughout the complex, on different levels, extending over several floors, forming large “incisions” in the structures. The atria in the 44 m high tower and in one cube extend up to roof level, with an ETFE membrane roof covering in each case. In the tower this resulted in a covered inner court that allows daylight to reach the ground floor. The loadbearing structure of the roof is formed by lightweight, curving circular hollow sections with a diameter of just 244.5 mm.

Aluminium sections supported clear of this primary structure provide a framework for the 13 x 2.90 - 3.60 m ETFE foil cushions. To prevent overheating of the interior, these three-layer transparent cushions are printed with patterns of silver dots on the middle and upper layers of the cushions. The upper layer has 16 mm dots with a coverage of 50%, but the middle layer 3 mm dots with 70% coverage. This lightweight, hardly perceivable design ensures that SKYGARDEN users feel as though they are outside under a blue sky.