Munich pretends it’s all tradition—then this surgical incision of courtyards and passages proves the city can still cut clean.
Architectural structure.
Featured in Herzog & de Meuron's definitive monograph, Herzog & de Meuron: Natural History.
Visitor Guide
Enter without shopping intent. Your goal is the sequence: courtyards → passages → courtyards. Keep looking up—light and perforated screens are the actual merchandise.
Viscardihof courtyard, centered under the open-to-sky void; midday for vertical light shafts, or early evening for glowing screens and softer contrast.
Publicly accessible shopping/passages. Opening times vary by tenant; as a rule of thumb, daytime retail hours are the safest bet.
Herzog & de Meuron describe it as a ‘puzzle’ of courts and arcades—solid mass shaped by voids, not the other way around.
45–90 min
Design & Structure
Urban-block subtraction: carve courtyards and thread passages to produce a new circulation order. Environmental effects (light, shadow, breeze) are tuned by layered screens and section changes rather than loud form.
Folded, perforated metal screens over illuminated façades—material used as a light instrument, producing depth, shimmer, and microclimate.
The structural cleverness is hidden in phasing and stitching: multiple building pieces + voids + retail loads coordinated so the whole reads continuous.
See Together
Buildings that pair well with Fünf Höfe — they're nearby or share a compelling architectural conversation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed Fünf Höfe?+
Fünf Höfe was designed by Herzog & de Meuron. It is located in Altstadt-Lehel, Germany.
Where is Fünf Höfe located?+
Fünf Höfe is located in Altstadt-Lehel, Germany. Its coordinates are 48.1403°, 11.5753°.
Can I visit Fünf Höfe?+
Fünf Höfe is a real building in Altstadt-Lehel that can be viewed from the outside. Check local information for interior access and visiting hours. Use the Parametric Atlas walking tour feature to plan a route that includes this building.