Munich, September 1 – Six architecture students from Munich University of Applied Sciences have presented an ambitious vision for the future of the Munich Wholesale Market site in the Sendling district. Their design, developed during the summer semester, includes proposals for up to 2,000 apartments and three 60-meter high residential towers.
Students Reimagine Munich Wholesale Market Site
The city of Munich has already initiated a planning process for the area, aiming to create an urban, mixed-use city quarter. The wholesale market itself is slated to relocate to a new site, with internal discussions suggesting a new build in the northeast of Munich, offering excellent connections to the A99 and A94 motorways. However, no final decision has been made, and traders have also expressed interest in locations in the southern surroundings.
The students’ work directly addresses this ongoing discussion. “After the previous allocation process was canceled and the city of Munich announced a renewed, holistic consideration of the area, we want to exemplify with our planning how the wholesale market could be rethought differently,” said Tobias Möndel, a master carpenter and architecture student. Möndel, along with Antonio Rivoli, Nina Leyding, Theresa Endlinger, Johannes Kühne, and Malte Kauschuss, spent approximately 35 to 40 hours on-site analyzing the area.
Four-Part Concept for the Future Quarter
The student concept divides the area into four distinct zones:
- Historic Wholesale Market Hall: Proposed for reuse as a city library and cultural center.
- New Block Edge: A dissolved block edge with a craft yard in front of the historic hall.
- Existing Market Relocation: The current market would initially move into two existing halls, with the freed-up space temporarily serving as a bus terminal, green area, and retention basin.
- Integrated Uses: “Living, crafts, production, culture, and social uses are not separated but connected,” Möndel emphasized.
The design also includes reopening Thalkirchner Straße as a public thoroughfare and creating several village squares as meeting points. The “sponge city” principle is incorporated, with partial areas to be unsealed and designed as infiltration zones. The students estimate that “about 250 to 350 newly planted trees” would be added.
High-Rises and Up to 2,000 Apartments Envisioned
A striking element of the proposal is a prominent residential slab along the railway tracks. According to Möndel, this building could be 60 meters high and comprise 21 floors. “According to our calculations, around 600 to 800 student or subsidized housing units could be created there.” Two additional, similarly tall buildings are also planned.
“Depending on the configuration, apartment typology, and apartment size, up to approximately 2,000 apartments would be possible in the entire quarter according to our design,” Möndel stated. He acknowledged that high-rise buildings are viewed critically in Munich, noting, “The towers were among the most discussed elements by us.”
The students emphasize that their design is not a finished master plan but rather “a thought-provoking impulse.” The project received the top grade of 1.0 and has been proposed for the yearbook of the Faculty of Architecture at Munich University of Applied Sciences. Möndel also mentioned that the results shown there would be presented to the city administration, suggesting a chance for Munich’s urban planners to review the design.
Sources: Interview with Tobias Möndel, own research
