WunderLocke Hotel in Munich by Holloway Li.

Holloway Li have unveiled WunderLocke, the latest outpost in Sendling Munich for their ongoing collaboration with aparthotel brand Locke. Housed in a monumental ex-Siemens office building, the studio took a low-impact design approach, exposing the bare bones of the existing concrete frame with carefully curated minimal layers of ‘dressing’.

In the design repones, Holloway Li reference to the rich theory of the existing building and aesthetic of artist Vasily Kandinsky, a prominent figure in Munich during the 20th Century. The designers used Kandinsky’s theory to reveal the inner voice of the existing structure. Superfluous ornament was stripped back to reveal the raw concrete frame, a quasi-ruin of the area’s industrial past around which the offshoots of renewal could be cultivated.

The design explores the tension between the fixed concrete elements and formless boundaries of the various common area zones, encouraging a flexibility of use characteristic to Locke. In minimising ‘fixed’ elements, the interior allows for future adaptation, limiting the need for wasteful renovation. The original 1960s terrazzo staircase was lovingly restored to its former glory, with new stainless steel fixings and handrail bringing it up to modern code.

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Amongst the immovable concrete columns, the studio introduced dense free-flowing planting, bringing the nearby Grünwald Forest into the interior. A limited palette of natural materials were used for new finishes and furniture: timber, terrazzo and raffia balance the concrete mass, bringing harmony and softness to the space which is further accentuated by sumptuous, naturally-textured carpeting which wraps the columns to dado level. The colour scheme, anchored by earthy tones and botanical greens, is punctuated by pops of colour across furniture and upholstery.

By taking a low-impact approach to retrofitting the existing building, building a sense of collectiveness through a vast, flexible public space layout, and establishing a connection to nature, the project considers sustainability through a longer-term environmental, economic and social lens. This Holloway Li’s second of a trio of collaborations with the lifestyle aparthotel brand.

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[Images courtesy of Holloway Li. Photography by Edmund Dabney.]