Marcel Glapski
The three-storey crystal—Hypovereinsbank Tower, Munich
Project name: Crystal
Place: Munich
Architecture/design: HENN Architekten
Special features: Central design element inside the HVB Tower, spanning three stories with a total height of 17 m. Arnold served as general contractor, working with several different trades to produce the crystal’s substructure

The renovation of Munich’s HVB Tower, a landmarked building, posed a challenge for HENN Architekten and their team: What should the atrium look like? The unique silhouette of the Tower had to remain unchanged in the course of the renovations, although they had free rein on the building’s interior. The idea was born to create a three-storey sculpture, the Crystal, in the lobby area.
The completed sculpture is much more than just a parapet: it forms the highlight of the HypoVereinsbank lobby. The Crystal is part of a new workplace concept aiming to inspire employees and clients alike to share their thoughts and exchange ideas.
Teamwork please!

As the general contractor, Arnold commissioned partners to provide a variety of technical services. The foundations of the Crystal in the HVB Tower were laid by means of a comprehensive, detailed 3-D plan that even specified the depth of individual screw holes. The substructure was planned and assembled at the Arnold production plant. The load-bearing structure consists of a highly complex steel scaffold made up of numerous individual parts, not one of which is identical to any other. Put together, they form the scaffold for several different polygonal planes that give the interior sculpture its unique shape.
The steel and aluminum substructure holds mounting plates to which the visible surface elements of mineral composite material were seamlessly attached.
Project partners: 5D-Engineering, Design-to-Production, Rosskopf+Partner
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