Munich’s Werk12 named best building in Germany for 2021 by country’s architects

The award bestowed by the German Architecture Museum is a great honour for the city, according to authorities

Munich’s Werk12 in the Werksviertel with its eloquent facade has won the award of the German Architecture Museum (DAM) and was singled out from the 25 best buildings in and from Germany. The prestigious award is an excellent source of pride for locals in the Bavarian capital who have had the opportunity to marvel at the edifice for more than a year.

What makes Werk12 special?

The verdict of the expert jury was unanimous: The DAM Prize 2021 goes to Werk12 in Munich for an "excellent and visionary achievement". The award in the context of the "25 best buildings in/from Germany" went to the Dutch office MVRDV and the Munich colleagues from N-V-O Nuyken from Oefele Architects.

The expert jury judged the building in the Werksviertel, consisting of five two-story floors, with a "fresh and cheeky appearance" with onomatopoeia on the facade borrowed from comics. The surrounding cascade stairs, the shady outside galleries and the glazing from top to bottom are among the impressive features of the winner.

Werk12 at Ostbahnhof has been attracting attention since October 2019 and is one of the eye-catchers in the Werksviertel. "Wow", "Puh", "Hmpf" or "Hihi" are written in oversized letters on the facade - and this unusual building has the wow effect on its side.

Especially when it is dark, it looks a bit more spectacular, not least thanks to the glass facade of the five-story building. The five-meter-high, glowing letters pay homage to the graffiti culture of the city as well as the previously very lush signage in the former industrial district at Ostbahnhof.

The tenants of the approximately 38 million expensive building include restaurants and events companies and a fitness studio. The architects have created a real eye-catcher - which has now been confirmed by the jury of the German Architecture Museum.