Theresienwiese, in Munich’s Ludwigsvorstadt district, is the home of the world-famous Oktoberfest. Many other major events also take place at the 42-acre site.

In 2004, building work was completed on the Theresienwiese Service Centre, which was designed by Berlin architects Volker Staab Architekten.

The building is used by the tourist office and Stadtwerke – Munich's public utilities company – all year round, and during Oktoberfest, it houses a temporary police station and acts as a base for the emergency services and local authorities.

Previously, the local authorities, police and first aid services at Oktoberfest operated from a demountable container village, but this makeshift solution – which has actually been in place for 30 years – did not meet contemporary building and safety standards.

The permanent solution was a 1982 sqm building clad in a copper ‘shell’ designed to gradually blend into the colour palette of the Theresienwiese: the oxidation of the copper cladding on the building made it take on the hues of the sloping ridge behind it.

The €13 million building’s public rooms are glazed and the copper sheeting protects them from both excessive sunlight and vandalism.

A bespoke aluminium building cladding mesh – named Theresia mesh – was designed and manufactured for the project. This mesh was copper coloured and complemented the TECU® Classic copper cladding sheets used on the building façade, which were manufactured by KME.

The project is an example of how we can shape a solution to a project’s requirements and how expanded metal can be used to enhance the visual impact of a building.

The Theresienwiese Service Centre certainly made an impression when it was completed: in 2005, it was awarded the FVHF (German Association for Curtain Wall Facade Materials) 2005 German Facade Award.

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