Moos
Communal housing and co-working in former bathtub factory.
Berlin, Germany
Moos
Communal housing and co-working in former bathtub factory.
The listed former bathtub factory on Moosdorfstrasse in Berlin was converted and extended using prefabricated timber construction. In close collaboration and constant negotiation with the client, a community of practices dedicated to sharing and shaping collective ventures, large communal apartments for up to nine adults and eleven children were created.
A concrete bull in a china shop
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time. Our solution was to make a 3D laser scan with an accuracy of 0.5 centimetres. This was the only way to plan the formwork of the concrete elements in such an exact way that there was a gap of just two centimetres between the old and the new structure. Only through three-dimensional point clouds and laser technology, in combination with the construction company’s many years of experience, was it possible to achieve such precision in planning and on-site construction.
The difference between a living unit and a household
The attic of the main building on Moosdorfstraße was to be converted into a single residential unit for nine adults and eleven children. The residential use was approved at the time we entered the project. But we did not plan a conventional housing typology as the authorities would have expected. Rather, the layout of the proposed dwelling comprised a connected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors. The private spaces form a kind of facade to these public areas. However, the interpretation of the building regulations stipulates that a residential unit contains only one kitchen at a time. Larger living landscapes are not foreseen. We had to invest a lot of effort to persuade the authorities to allow these progressive housing concepts with the appropriate spaces. Both the team and our clients tried hard to not feel discouraged by rigid and outdated building codes.
Location
Berlin, Germany
Status
Completed in 2022
Client
Klunder & Wolfrum GbR
Team
Marc Schmit, Pascal Berger, Mengjia He, Daniel Gärtner, Nahal Mohtashemi, Rossella Marinozzi
Collaboration with
Thomas Kröger Architekten and buchner + wienke architekten
Fire protection expert
ZRS Architekten, Dipl.-Ing. Monique Bührdel
Structural engineer
Bauberatung Michael Weiß
Photo credits
Michael Tewes & PLAYZE
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
Precisely inserting the new reinforced concrete construction in the listed hall in such a way that it wrapped around the protected and delicate steel structure was a challenge, not least because the frame had deformed over time.
The layout of the dwelling unit consists of an interconnected living area with a total of four kitchens, characterised by alternating small squares and corridors.
