Locals now call it the “Schwabing Hole.” But the project could soon come back to life.
Munich – Had everything gone according to plan, a modern building complex would likely already be standing at the Nordbad site by the end of this year. The project was to include large glass façades, a landscaped inner courtyard, a daycare center, and a market hall on the ground floor. Instead, nothing has moved forward. For more than two years, hardly any progress has been made on the Munich construction site. What remains is a large excavation pit on Schleißheimer Straße—now dubbed the Schwabing Hole—on the very spot where a Karstadt department store still stood in 2020.
Now, however, the project may finally gain momentum, albeit in a revised form. Instead of exclusively office and retail spaces, the new plans envision around 210 apartments of various sizes, ranging from 30 to 140 square meters. The updated design provides for a mixed-use complex: 40 percent commercial space, 40 percent residential units, and 20 percent for local services, gastronomy, and childcare.
Around 210 Apartments Planned for the Nordbad Site
“This is a desirable mix,” said developer Stefan Pfender, who aims to realize the project with his company Bono Schwabing GmbH & Co. KG. At the beginning of August, he submitted a preliminary planning application to the Local Building Commission. This application will first determine whether the revised plans are fundamentally feasible. If approved, a full building application could follow. According to Pfender, construction could resume in spring 2026.
Why the sudden inclusion of housing? According to Pfender, this was made possible because the terms of the long-term lease agreement for the site were adjusted. The original contract had only permitted a commercial building—something that is no longer strictly required. The revised plan is therefore intended as another attempt to finally bring movement into a project that has been stalled for years.
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