Hard on the outside, soft on the inside

Gentle interventions to great effect

The characteristic steel structure of the building was also intended to remain visible in the interior spaces. Low sanitary and service boxes were installed in the tall, light-flooded floors, whose ceilings have provided additional storage areas.

The result is flowing spaces and lines of sight that cut across the entire building, which allows the apartments to retain their loft character. Ecological, sustainable materials were used for the conversion and refurbishment. The reusing and upcycling of old components and construction elements and materials results in constant surprises when walking through the building.

The editorial team spoke to the architects in charge, Anita Eyrich and Christian Hertweck from Eyrich-Hertweck Architekten:

colore: You can't help but turn a project like this into a matter of the heart, right?

Christian Hertweck: That's true. It seems that was the case for everyone involved. Project manager Tanja Zieske was the first to spot the potential of this place and the building. The Berlin Senate Administration agreed to the purchase of the property probably because we were the only ones who didn't want to tear it down. Everything went together. Finding private investors, who had a similar approach to architecture as us, and who contributed to our sensitive and in many areas, laborious restoration. The authorities for conservation of monuments also joined forces with us throughout the project – otherwise the entire project would have been impossible.

colore: What was so special about this project?

Anita Eyrich: I always find construction projects with such drastic change of use particularly exciting. The place is not virginal. It has a certain maturity, tells a thousand stories and exhales them out softly, as soon as one even touches a stone. We took an approach that really was holistic – always keeping function, sustainability and aesthetics in mind. And in the meantime, some areas were focused on, carefully formulated – like the house-in-house concept, how to handle the steel girders, and positioning the supply cubes. That could only be done with care and great sensitivity.

colore: The project won the kfW Award. What does that award mean to you?

Christian Hertweck: I think it's extremely important that a project of this format has been honored. It should be an example that shows it is worth thinking deeper, not just designing 'off the shelf', not taking the easiest, cheapest, most pragmatic, but instead putting your heart into it and aiming to meet the highest expectations in terms of design and sustainability.

colore: What is the color concept behind this behind?

Anita Eyrich: Now, the color of the brick – mostly in the old style, sometimes enhanced with new ones – and the dark gray steel framework give the entire building its character – in the past and in the present. Color was only applied as an accent within the apartments, following consultation with the owners. A great deal of color was not required, as the features within provide design accents; the interiors have partially visible brick walls, (partition) walls that are painted in tinted white, visible beams and different levels within the apartments. So a lot of decorative color is not required. In some places, we tailor-made furniture for the apartments and then added color accents in some places. The rest of the color is simply brought by the people that live there. So a house is a stage and the life that takes place there is the action.