graft revitalizes historical post office complex in berlin with parametric brick façade

architecture firm graft has revitalized a historical post office complex in berlin schöneberg, expanding the site with two new brick buildings and converting the original rooftops for commercial purposes. as the area is one of the busiest residential districts in the city, the design team sought to make the site accessible to the public with restaurants, retail outlets, and offices joining new apartments as part of the 32,000 square meter ensemble.

all images and video © BTTR, unless otherwise stated

protected as historical monuments, the existing post office buildings divide the area into several inner courtyards. graft upgraded these spaces, while retaining their original commercial character. in accordance with the existing building structure, the previously unused rooftops were renovated to include additional windows, while the roof gables have been retained to provide the interiors with a homey atmosphere.

completing the ensemble, the new buildings have been designed with brick façades. in keeping with the style of historical courtyard passages, the building was given a spacious access from the main street into the internal courtyard. ‘by means of cutting-edge technology, brickwork and geometry, historical monument and the parametric design strategies of the 21st century were artfully combined,’ explain the architects. learn more about the project in the video at the top of this page.

image © trockland

image © trockland

image © trockland

1/17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

project info:

name: bricks berlin schoeneberg
location: hauptstrasse 27,28-29, 10827 berlin / belziger strasse 33, 10823 berlin, germany
type: revitalization of a former post office area, conversion for commercial use, university and gastronomy, extension by two new residential buildings
client: trockland management GmbH
year: 2014– 2020
size: 32,000 sqm (15,200 sqm revitalization and roof extension, 16,800 sqm new construction)
photography and video: BTTR gmbh

architect: graft gesellschaft von architekten GmbH
founding partners: lars krückeberg, wolfram putz, thomas willemeit
project team: aleksandra zajko, alexandra bunescu, alfredo peñafiel suarez, allison weiler, altan arslanoglu, andrei dan musetescu, anja frenkel, anna wittwer, dennis hawner, dorothea freiin von rotberg, emma rytoft, evgenia dimopoulou, fabian busse, inigo de latorre, jerzy gerard gabriel, maria angeles orduna, marvin bratke, mathilde catros, mats karl koppe, matthias rümmele, nils von minckwitz, paula martin aedo, primoz strazar, sebastian gernhardt, sven wesuls, verena lihl, veronika partelova