Goetz Hootz Castorph Architekten und Stadtplaner GmbH
Jugendzentrum Starnberg
best architects 13
public buildings
Place
München
Studio
Photos
Michael Heinrich
Description
Like a dark wooden raft, the building rests on the fairground on Lake Starnberg. It is a simple and concise volume that asserts itself with confidence and precision next to its larger neighbours: the District Administration Office, an indoor pool and the Bavarian Yacht Club. The Youth Centre building forms its own outdoor spaces, partly sheltered, partly open to the sky. The Centre houses three functional sections that can be accessed and used separately: a café and event hall giving onto a veranda and playground; play and workshop spaces facing eastward to promote tranquillity and concentration; and, thirdly, the rooms of the District Youth Ring and the Youth Centre administration offices, forming a counterpart to the noise-sensitive uses in the south. Simple materials such as wood, concrete, asphalt and linoleum, all in dark tones, provide a timeless backdrop for the “here and now” of the young people who come here. The exterior cladding of the timber structure is made of brushed spruce painted a dark shade to relate to the vernacular architecture typical of the lakeside, such as boathouses and ship hangars.