Between the former telegraph office on Münsterplatz and the Altmünster church rises a two-part conglomerate of exposed aggregate concrete cubes, which was once planned as a ‘golden gateway to the old town’: the Altmünster Centre. 

The multi-storey ensemble comprises a shopping arcade, a residential tower block and a staircase leading to the upper town. The 21-storey residential tower is based on a plinth building together with the shopping arcade. A circumferential arcade opens up the base building and marks the entrances to this passageway. The ground floor zone of the entire complex houses shops, restaurants, doctors' surgeries and cultural uses, as well as owner-occupied and rental flats from the first floor upwards. White prefabricated concrete elements and exposed aggregate concrete panels are the design and structural leitmotif of the conglomerate. The façades are traversed by ribbon windows that divide the individual parts of the building horizontally and into which loggias are inserted. The horizontality is continued with white, narrow bands in the façade cladding. On the north side of the building, the high concrete bar is interrupted by a low, organic, semi-circular concrete extension. 

The Altmünster Centre was planned in the 1970s by architects Müller, Detsch and Schellenberg on behalf of property developer Heinz Mosch from Wiesbaden. The aim was to create a place where work, life, consumption and leisure could be combined; in addition to around 200 owner-occupied flats, health facilities, a swimming pool, solarium and sauna were also planned. Only a few of these high-quality facilities were realised: Today, the Altmünster-Center has a bad reputation among residents as a landmark that stands out disruptively from Mainz city centre. Despite the criticism, the residential space close to the centre is in demand and enjoys a high level of satisfaction, which seems to ensure the continued existence of the building.

Translation from Valerie Ucke’s article in: MAINZ 1970–2000. Das neue Selbstverständnis in der Architektur (2024) by Die Betonisten

In use (last updated on November 1, 2024).