The Blank House
A place of encounter
Yesterday, today and tomorrow
The centrepiece of the Foundation’s ensemble is the historic Villa Blank. It was designed in the mid-1930s by Munich architect Oskar Pixis. The listed former home of the founder is to be renovated according to the plans of the London designer John Pawson and extended via two harmonious buildings to form the future complex in the Schwabing district of Munich, in line with the mission of the Foundation.
Historic Villa Blank
After the Nazis came to power in 1933, the Blank family were evicted from Brienner Strasse in Munich. They bought a plot of land set back from the road in Schwabing.
Dr Gustav Blank, the founder’s father, commissioned the Munich architect Oskar Pixis to design an urban villa with practice rooms. The Blank House, the centrepiece of the future Foundation site, was completed in 1935.
Blank House /
Desk of the founder
OSKAR PIXIS
Born in Munich in 1874, the architect and son of the painter Theodor Pixis made a name for himself early on. From 1903 he worked in the Berlin office of Alfred Messel, where he was involved in the design of the Wertheim department store.
After returning to Munich, during the 1920s and 1930s he designed and built individual houses and villas for prominent Munich citizens, including the artist’s house of the sculptor Hans Defregger in Kaulbachstrasse.
At the same time, Pixis made a name for himself as an architect of urban growth. He built a multi-storey block of flats in Klugstrasse in the Munich district of Gern, comprising 360 small apartments for socially disadvantaged families, which still exists today.
Villa Blank – today and tomorrow
As the centrepiece of the future ensemble, the Grade II listed town villa will be carefully renovated according to plans by John Pawson Architects. The interior will retain as much of the original layout and features as possible, and will be integrated into the new concept. Villa Blank will serve as the Foundation’s administrative centre.
In addition, it will offer ample space for exhibitions and events on art and science – as a reflection of the Foundation’s wide-ranging commitment, as a lively meeting place for our scholarship holders, cooperation partners and sponsors, and as an open door to Munich society.
The history of the Blank family as “hosts” of the villa will be made directly accessible to our visitors through exhibits and short documentaries in the rooms of the villa. A historical archive of family documents completes the concept.
Extensions:
new West and East Wings
The planned extensions are based on designs by John Pawson: a new building with a harmonious basic aesthetic is to be positioned on either side of the founder’s former residence. The West Wing will provide three floors of student accommodation, while the two-storey East Wing will provide public spaces and apartments. The basement with study rooms connects both wings and the Villa Blank.
A new courtyard frames the villa to the south and connects the public spaces on the ground floor with a spacious terrace. The design of the outdoor space integrates the trees of the historic property into the architectural concept and creates new places in the garden that invite visitors to linger.
JOHN PAWSON
John Pawson is a world-renowned designer based in London. For 40 years he has been designing and realising buildings and interiors all over the world: from the Philippines to Saint-Tropez, and from Copenhagen to Tokyo. His extensive portfolio ranges from private homes, hotels and churches to museums and galleries. Design work enriches his projects. All his work follows a strict minimalist aesthetic:
„I love clear spaces. I love the absolute minimum.”
In Germany, John Pawson’s projects include the redesign of the Baroque Moritzkirche in Augsburg, the conversion of the BASA bunker in Berlin into a private museum and the interior concept for the Oberpollinger store on Neuhauser Strasse in Munich.
Sustainable Building Concept
The new buildings, designed by John Pawson, are to be constructed of solid wood in an ecologically and aesthetically convincing way – an energetically self-sufficient and resource-saving construction that follows the natural cycle of the forest and augurs well for the future.