Visionary revitalisation: Munich-based architecture firm CSMM receives the 2021 Iconic Award for the complete overhaul of the Fritz office complex

Munich, 23 August 2021. More natural light, more space, more innovation: In collaboration with the developers at QUEST Investment Partners, the architecture and consulting firm CSMM brought a 1973 office and commercial property in Munich’s Schiller Strasse out of the shadows and into the light. The Fritz – named for celebrated 18th-century author Friedrich Schiller – has become a prototype in Germany’s urban development space with impactful upgrades from generous glazing and large open spaces to extending upwards with two additional storeys. It has also demonstrated that major renovations can be both eco-friendly and sustainable. After receiving a German Design Award for the Fritz property’s marketing lounge last year, CSMM has now been honoured for its architectural design. The Munich-based firm received a 2021 Iconic Award in the Innovative Architecture category from the German Design Council, which first introduced the award in 2013.  

“We are thrilled that the Fritz has become such a prominent – and now award-winning – benchmark for revitalisation and sustainable development,” says Reiner Nowak, Managing Partner at CSMM. “What our architects were able to create from the original building shell is extraordinary – it shows how much future potential there is in older building stock, and how much scope there is for innovation and contemporary design in much sought-after and densely developed city centres.” With the addition of two additional storeys in CSMM’s renovation design, which was approved in close consultation with city officials, the now eight-storey Fritz set a new height record for this area of downtown Munich. An optimal and generous use of space was also the project’s guiding principle inside as well.

More natural light, more creativity '
The building now boasts eight storeys and roughly 4,500 square metres of office space equipped with the latest in office technology as well as a flexible layout that can be reconfigured as needed. And thanks to a new façade with generous glazing, the spacious workplace is also flooded with natural light. Sweeping views of the city from the balconies, conservatories and the spectacular roof terrace round out the user-friendly renovation, which is designed to inspire creativity in both the private and professional lives of its occupants. “The Fritz is our way of paying tribute to an icon of German Classicism that is worthy of that era’s Sturm and Drang in its openness,” Nowak states. “The fact that the German Design Council has now honoured our team’s innovative ideas with an Iconic Award demonstrates that we are on the right track with our vision for a future focused on revitalising existing buildings.”
“The Fritz embodies a sophisticated, creative approach to the workplace with exceptional architecture. Thanks to its striking façade, the property is a prominent example of sustainable renovation and living proof that it is possible to completely reimagine the exterior as well as interior design of existing buildings without resorting to demolition,” remarks Jan Rouven Künzel, Managing Partner of developer QUEST Investment Partners.