BAU 2019: Long Night of Architecture

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bau-muenchen.com

Date: 22 January 2019

Over 35,000 architecture fans get to look inside a host of exciting buildings in Munich.

Another excellent turnout
76 buildings on 7 routes
Themed tours and guided tours fully booked

The fifth Long Night of Architecture, organized by BAU, the World´s Leading Trade Fair for Architecture, Materials and Systems, delighted the people of Munich, architecture fans and the trade visitors and exhibitors attending BAU 2019. More than 35,000 people took part in the event. The “Long Night of Architecture” (LNA) once again offered unique insights into the most impressive buildings and projects in the Bavarian capital.

“Munich is so diverse and exciting and when you look closely it´s clear it has many very interesting buildings to see. The Long Night of Architecture this year was the fifth opportunity so far to experience the tremendous architectural landscape of the city close up—and it was again a big hit,” said Deputy Chairman of the Board of Messe München, Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer. “With this event we successfully opened up the exciting theme of architecture to a wider public audience.”

Explore 76 buildings by bus or on foot

Even before the night-time tours of Munich started, the LNDA was able to report a new record: This year a total of 76 buildings and projects were on the program—in 2017 the figure was 70.

This year the visitors had the choice of seven different bus routes to different buildings featured on the program. The central starting point for all participants was Odeonsplatz, from which seven shuttle buses started out on the free tours. The routes intersected at certain points and this gave visitors the chance to combine different tours with each other.

In the center of the city, many visitors walked to the different buildings, either on a guided tour or independently. Among the 19 buildings in this part of town on the program were the Palais an der Oper, the Architecture Gallery and the Hofstatt.

The seven themed tours offered exclusively to the exhibitors and visitors of BAU were once more fully booked up well in advance. For the trade audience this was a further cultural highlight in their visit to Munich—and it brought the focal themes of the trade fair into the city.

Munich by night

The diverse mix of buildings offered something for every taste. The selection ranged from the KARE Kraftwerk, the company headquarters of OSRAM to the Church of the Sacred Heart. Among the 76 buildings were also 22 new ones, such as the Showpalast München, the Monacensia library and the Steelcase Learning + Innovation Center.

The new Siemens Headquarters, in which the Long Night of Architecture was officially opened, was also part of the program, for the first time since it was completed in 2016.

“This HQ is a real reflection of Munich architecture—a mix of tradition and future. The historic building was renovated and seamlessly integrated into the modern new building,” said Thomas Braun, General Manager Siemens Real Estate. The building is an inspiring new place of work right in the heart of the city—and at the same time a quiet place for visitors to meet, because the Siemens Passageway is open to all.

“Since opening two years ago, the building has been a magnet for thousands of architecture fans from all over the world. We are pleased that the people of Munich were able to take a close-up look at our HQ for themselves on this year´s Long Night of Architecture. This HQ is not only an impressive example of architecture in a sensitive environment, it is also an expression of the way the company sees itself,” said Guido Jagusch, Press Spokesman of Siemens Real Estate.

Classics such as the ADAC headquarters in the west of Munich, with its most impressive façade, was again a part of the event, and once more it attracted crowds of people.

“The ADAC headquarters is one of the most iconic buildings in Munich. We were very pleased to open it up to ADAC members and to non-members on the Long Night of Architecture. A highlight for the visitors was most certainly the view across Munich from the 22nd floor. We will be happy to take part again next time,” said the managing director of the ADAC e.V., Lars Soutschka.

On the “Long Night of Architecture” another big hit was the administrative building, the “Haus der bayerischen Landkreise”. “Although only around 60 people fit into our foyer, over the course of the evening we had several hundred visitors. They were not only in interested in the architecture, but also in the work of the regional parliament and the Bavarian national parks, about which we have an exhibition at the moment,” reported Spokeswoman Sarah Honold.

In almost all the buildings there were guided tours or a small program of events with highlights for the visitors. Queues formed at many of the buildings, but despite the frosty temperatures, people waited patiently for their turn to get a look inside.

The operators of the buildings and the participants in the LNA were again this year delighted with the event and the opportunity for thousands of visitors to go inside so many different buildings that are often not open for the public.

Messe München GmbH and the team of BAU 2019 thank all the cooperation partners and sponsors without whom the LNA would not have been possible.

The cooperation partners of the LNA: