A new civic center designed by Munich-based Peck Daam Architects has opened in Münsing, a small Bavarian town on Lake Starnberg, marking the completion of a long-awaited community gathering space that serves as the heart of the village. The two-story building with its distinctive pitched roof design houses assembly rooms for 450 people on the ground floor, along with citizen services offices, while the upper level contains the municipal council chamber and building department offices accessed through a gallery walkway.
The project represents a significant community investment for the town of approximately 4,000 residents, with about 1,500 living in the village center. The municipality first acquired the site opposite the village church in 2008 with dual objectives: creating urgently needed housing and establishing a community assembly space. The construction site was divided, with the southern portion developed first as a barn-like multi-generational housing complex by Arc Architekten from Hirschbach.
The northern section at the church square was designated for the municipal facilities, where the old Pallaufhof previously stood—a traditional elongated Bavarian farmhouse with bright stucco facade and dark shutters. Before launching a competition, the city decided to demolish the existing building and announced a design competition in 2018 for a replacement structure with retrospective architectural elements. Among 16 submissions, Peck Daam's proposal prevailed with their design for a two-story pitched-roof building encompassing nearly 3,000 square meters of gross floor area.
The architectural approach balances historical reference with contemporary functionality. While the building's overall form and tile roofing echo traditional Bavarian architecture, the structure speaks a distinctly modern language through its uniform cladding of wood slats that allows for numerous views in and out of the building. The load-bearing system consists of rigid wooden frames supported by a reinforced concrete base that also accommodates a small underground garage. The outdoor area, designed by ver.de from Freising, features fruit trees that help balance the site's topography.
Despite its current prominence in defining the town center, the project's realization faced significant uncertainty during development. Media reports documented political divisions, with the Green Party faction finding the design too large for the small community after the competition decision and favoring renovation of the local sports hall instead. However, according to Peter Hacker, the municipality's construction advisor, the new building has proven to be a complete success, coming in at 21.4 million euros—slightly under the planned budget. Three million euros of the funding came from the federal government's urban development support program.
The building exemplifies how smaller communities can strengthen their rural town centers through thoughtful architecture that respects local character while meeting contemporary needs. The citizen engagement reflected in the construction process mirrors the building's intended function as a space for community gathering and democratic participation, establishing a new focal point for Münsing's civic life.
