ADAC Headquarters- An Eye-catcher in Munich’s skyline

The 92 m tower with its over 1,000 windows in 22 different colours and the curved base construction is a new landmark of the Munich Westend.

Everyone in Germany knows the expression "yellow angel", and most of its 17 million members have already made use of the organization's road assistance service at least once: it is the largest automobile club in Europe, the ADAC. Designed by Sauerbruch Hutton of Berlin, the new headquarters in the west of Munich is now operational and gathers all the colleagues under one roof. The new and impressive office complex which is known as 'Star of Sendling,' consists of a five storey, gracefully curved base, out of which emerges an eighteen-storey office tower of steel and glass – a colourful, shimmering eye-catcher in Munich's skyline.


On a gross floor area of 129,500 square metres, the employees from all branches of the company – insurance, financial services, car rental, travel and cellular phone offers – work in an atmosphere marked by architectural openness. The Board and the management are on the two top floors; under them are cubicle areas and single office spaces, as well as large conference rooms at the centre of each level, all the way down to the ground floor. There, the employees can find a cafeteria, a casino, training rooms, the printing facilities, the kitchens, the mailing centre and the packing room.

From the outset, the owner wanted to create a building that would make its mark on the Munich skyline and host an innovative and state-of-the-art work environment. ADAC had also insisted to the architect for giving special emphasis on a state-of-the-art energy concept built on solar and geothermal energy as well as remote heat. Hence, the heating in building is based both on geothermal resources and on remote heat and most of the electrical supply comes from regenerative sources and solar panels installed on the rooftops. Apart from them, the architectural marvel also features natural ventilation inside the offices through the double-layered façade.

A central foyer serves both as a representative lobby and as the central distribution point for all employees; from here they can reach their offices in the five-storey low-rise block or the eighteen storey tower above it via escalators and lifts. It has something of the feeling of a gigantic train station: the glass roof floods every corner with light and offers a view onto the façade of the office tower, which is over 92 metres high. The tower boldly overhangs the base by eight metres in the direction of the nearby train tracks. To prevent the foyer from overheating despite the large proportion of glass, ipasol platin 25/15 solar control glass from Interpane is used. It has a solar factor of 15%, guaranteeing effective protection from the sun's heat. This significantly reduces the air conditioning requirements. At tV = 25%, the daylight transmission is also low, which prevents glare when the sun is high in the sky. To comply with the stringent safety requirements, the insulating glazing on the roof consists of an outer layer of single-pane safety glass with heat-soak test (ESG-H) and an inner layer of laminated safety glazing (VSG). Some of the outer panes also have a screen print.


The three floors below ground contain the 40% of the building's floor area that is hidden from public view: parking spaces, two ultra-modern computer centres, technology and logistics as well as a delivery area that can even accommodate articulated trucks.