Name: openscale
Location: Munich, Germany
Year: 2009
Type: urban planning + housing
Status: competition
Coauthor: moritz alken, michael bentlage, philipp reichelt, jördis stratmann

Being a candidate for the Olympic Games of 2018, Munich has the unique opportunity to become the first city to host the Winter Olympics for the second time (after the Summer Olympics in 1972), and thus gaining international focus. This raises the question of how to use the Olympic Park of the 1970’s, which today is mainly used for recreation: sports and cultural events, fulfilling an important role as a public space in the northern part of Munich.

The area is located near the Mittlerer Ring motorway and perfectly accessible by public transport. The Olympic tower is probably the second most distinctive landmark of Munich’s skyline, after the Frauenkirche. Why not integrate this outstanding ensemble with its internationally known topography into a modern urban landscape?

In this study, we focus on a huge parking space that marks the western end of the Olympic park. This surface claims about 25% of the entire park and has a huge potential when it comes to redensification within the centre of Munich. Couldn’t this be the perfect location for a new Olympic village with an urban density that will have an enormous potential for sustainable future use after the Winter Olympics?