Life in Berlin. Over the past few decades, alongside the daily rat race of real estate sharks, big investors and ongoing gentrification, a popular alternative model – the housing cooperative – has been gaining ground. The Baugruppe D2, consisting of 15 families, was fortunate enough to get hold of one of the last building plots in central Neukölln. Their task for the IFUB* was to design an ecological, friendly, yet modern house that is well integrated into the city surroundings, with plenty of greenery and both courtyard and rooftop communal spaces.
Modernization, rehabilitation and extension of a high school in Berlin, Germany.
With a modern architectural language, SSP Rüthnick Architekten extended the school, which is under ensemble protection. The main building for 580 pupils was modernized and rehabilitated. The new building in the schoolyard complements the existing school building.
The three-story extension respectful distances itself from the solid masonry building with red clinker bricks. A modern-looking façade made of vertical larch wood slats was deliberately chosen to contrast with the historic brick building. In addition to the expressive cubature, the joints between the floors and the movable sliding elements gives the building plasticity. The wooden elements, which can be moved manually, serve as sun protection.
With Hagius, the two brothers Nicolas and Timothy Hagius set out to create a sports studio in which mind and body are ultimately connected. The 600 m2 space located in a historic post office from 1902, was completely restored by Gonzalez Haase AAS in neutral interiors that mute the noise of modern-day.
To accommodate the holistic concept, in which light, sound and aroma stimulation is varied throughout the day to support the circadian rhythm, a design was implemented to play an active role in targeted prompts and removing external distractors. All elements deemed structurally unnecessary were removed to create two main axes that open up the view over the entire length of the building – from south to north and from west to east, crossing in the reception area. At either end of the central axis, a round matte stainless-steel panel with a diameter of 1.6 meters was installed to reflect light within the space. In the east, the circular back wall hosts a drinking fountain – in the west, sound equipment and custom incense installations.
Inspired by the pioneering vision of Noah’s Ark at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, which underscores the importance of diversity, collaboration and second chances, ANOHA The Children’s World of the Jewish Museum Berlin seeks to give the museum’s youngest guests a sense of hope and possibility. Located within an existing former flower market hall, the heart of ANOHA is a circular wooden ark, standing almost 23 feet (7 meters) tall with a 92-foot (28-meter) base diameter. The curvilinear ark complements the curved ribs of the Brutalist light scoops overhead, while the shift in materiality from concrete to wood offers a softening counterpoint to the existing space.
Efremidis is situated on the ground floor of the listed building designed for IBM by Rolf Gutbrod and Hermann Kiess in the early 1960s. The ground floor housed the data center of the blue giant which explains the higher than usual ceiling filled with air vents and -ducts. The exhibition space has been redesigned by CAMA A during the summer of 2018. Many original architectural features were retained in order to encourage reflections on the exhibition site. In the building, which was built by Rolf Gutbrod in the 1960s, the new gallery occupies the entire ground floor. In the past, the latest computer models were exhibited here – today it is a room in which contemporary art is shown.
The spacious loft on the ground floor of a commercial rear building in Berlin Kreuzberg is located in the rooms of a former car repair shop.
Together with the owner, a spacious living and working environment was created, which atmosphere is not only due to the choice of materials but also through technically complex and sophisticated measures such as the underfloor heating and the acoustic ceiling.
Both of these do not appear, but make a decisive contribution to wellbeing. An installation for the kitchen and bathroom with sauna was created in the former workshop, with a workspace and a media lounge on the upper level.
The design of this boutique Yoga studio is based on the idea of flow – a term used in yoga practice to describe a sense of fluid movement and meditation. Within the space, these ideas manifest through smooth transitions between spaces and the extensive use of malleable materials such as fabrics and hempcrete. The entrance opens up onto a large reception area with a central desk doubling up as an occasional bar. A reconfigurable sofa follows the soft curve of a large screen acting as a space divider. On one side a large water fountain reminds visitors to wash their hands while the other side leads into the practice rooms.
As of May 2021, the site of Berlin-Tegel Airport will be developed into a research and industrial park for urban technologies, the Berlin TXL–Urban Tech Republic. The buildings of the airport, holistically designed by von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architects (gmp), have been listed as historic monuments since 2019 and will be adapted to house new functions. The urban design and architectural heart of the site will remain the central terminal building with entrance hall and tower, which will be transformed by gmp into a start-up and innovation center.
Axel Springer has launched a move from print to digital media. Its new building on the campus in Berlin acts both as a symbol and a tool in this transition – a building to lure the elite of (Germany’s) digital Bohemia. Bisected by a diagonal atrium that opens up to the existing Axel Springer buildings, the essence of the design is a series of terraced floors that together form a ‘valley’ that creates an informal stage at the centre – a place to broadcast ideas to other parts of the company.
LXSY ARCHITEKTEN have just created a new space for innovation with the Digital Hub SPIELFELD. In the corporate studios and during events in the open café, lounge and event areas, established companies and start-ups experiment side by side, exploring the theme of digital transformation.
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