In Munich, C.F. Møller Architects has completed i8: a six-storey office building with a dynamic hybrid timber construction that is targeting LEED Platinum. The design was the winning entry to a 2020 competition that called for a contemporary office block for the rapidly transforming industrial area around Munich's Ostbahnhof. The result is an office block with flexible floorplates, shared spaces and a large light-filled atrium designed as a space of encounter.
Hybrid timber construction
I8 uses a hybrid timber-concrete structural system in which BauBuche, beech laminated veneer lumber (LVL), forms the main frame. Unlike glulam, LVL is composed of thin beech veneers which are taken from relatively small-diameter logs, dried, graded and laminated together. This process produces a highly homogenous engineered timber with greater strength and stiffness than softwood glulam. This strength is of particular importance in this building, because it allowed the designers to use relatively slender columns and beams in a six storey office building.
Structural system
The LVL columns and beams are arranged on a 5.4m structural grid, with many of the connections made through timber-to-timber bearing rather than via conventional steel joints. Reinforced concrete cores provide lateral stability in necessary locations, while a limited amount of steel was used in more complex spans and for corners. This hybrid timber construction reduces carbon emissions by around 50% compared to conventional construction, while also acting as a carbon sink—storing 2300 tonnes of CO2—for as long as the building stands.
Flexible floorplate
The structural grid system, with its exposed columns and beams, helps create flexible office areas that can shift depending on needs. The expansive floorplates can exist as they are—large, open-plan office spaces—but they can also be sectioned off into smaller individual office areas, or as a combination of both. A range of different ceiling heights and room depths throughout the building are designed to help maximise access to natural light regardless of chosen office configuration.
Social programming
At the heart of the building is a full-height central atrium, which is enclosed on three sides by six floors of dynamic office spaces. This atrium contains approximately 650 square metres of social space—including a cafe and an event area, alongside more informal spaces for people to meet and mingle. The building also includes a 600-square-meter rooftop terrace with views towards the Alps, and a landscaped park that was retained to protect existing trees.
Recycled facade
The facade is made from 75% recycled anodised aluminium in an emerald green—inspired partly by the surrounding landscape and partly by the industrial infrastructure of the Weksviertal and neighbouring railway. The architect describes the facade as a single unifying skin around three essentially identical office zones. Solar shading, natural ventilation, acoustic performance and daylight control are integrated into the facade system.
Sustainability measures
The building also incorporates a 126 kWp photovoltaic installation, reduced potable-water consumption, rainwater use for irrigation, extensive bicycle provision including e-bike charging, and approximately 160 car-parking spaces with e-mobility infrastructure. The façade contains around 75% recycled aluminium, further extending the material strategy into the building envelope.
