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      Cells in former Berlin prison turned into guest rooms for hotel Wilmina

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      German practice Grüntuch Ernst Architects has converted an abandoned women’s prison and courthouse in Berlin into a “tranquil” hotel.

      Called Wilmina, the hotel occupies a duo of listed 19th-century structures in Charlottenburg that had been forgotten for decades prior to their renovation.
      Grüntuch Ernst Architects has converted a prison into the Wilmina hotelThe former court, which sits at the entrance on Kantstraße, accommodates the hotel’s reception as well as a temporary gallery called Amtsalon.
      An extension housing Wilmina’s restaurant connects the courthouse to the prison’s U-shaped cell block, which fits 44 guest rooms across five levels including a new penthouse floor at the top.
      Grüntuch Ernst Architects also added a roof terrace above the penthouse alongside a library, bar, spa and gym.

      Guest rooms are arranged on narrow galleries around the atriumInteriors were designed to respect the buildings’ existing architecture and reveal traces of their former use.
      “The process involved reversing the spatial configuration and its meaning so that an anti-social space can become an inviting place,” said the architecture firm, which was founded by husband-wife duo Armand Grüntuch and Almut Grüntuch-Ernst in 1991.
      “Through sensitive interventions with deliberate openings, build-ups, superimpositions, relocations and penetrations, the existing structures were expanded, connected and reprogrammed.”
      The rooms occupy the prison’s former cellsVisitors enter the Wilmina via a bright lobby and journey deeper into the hotel through a sequence of courtyards, passages and rooms that become increasingly private.
      In the hotel proper, narrow galleries with wrought-iron balustrades are wrapped around a central atrium, leading to the guest rooms that were set up in the former prison cells.
      Windows were enlarged to offer views into the courtyardA lighting installation with glass pendants is suspended from the ceiling of the atrium to emphasise its height.
      Although no two guest rooms are exactly the same, all of them are finished in light colours, soft textures and warm, tactile materials to create a soothing ambience.

      EPR Architects transforms historic prison into NoMad London luxury hotel

      Where possible, the cells’ small high windows were enlarged to provide views into the main courtyard. But their prison bars remain intact to remind visitors of the building’s history.
      The new penthouse level features floor-to-ceiling windows that offer views down across the complex and its gardens. The new rooms are designed to be minimalist, clear and calm, with fine metal chain curtains that shimmer in the breeze.
      Minimalist bathrooms blend in with the larger interior schemeAt the centre of the site sits the hotel’s restaurant Lovis in an extension constructed using bricks that were removed elsewhere during the prison’s transformation.
      The eatery occupies the site of the former lock yard, its old gates now replaced with large windows providing views of a small enclosed garden with rare ferns, vines, climbing plants and an old birch tree.
      The hotel occupies a U-shaped red-brick cell block”The unique location and the detailed, sensitive transformation make the forgotten place a special experience in Berlin,” said Grüntuch Ernst Architects.
      “Wilmina is a place of discoveries, of surprising visual links, ambiguous layers of space and traces of the past. Wilmina is also a place of natural tranquillity, relaxation and comfort – an oasis in the middle of the city.”
      An extension formed from reclaimed bricks houses the Lovis restaurantMeanwhile in London, EPR Architects and interior design firm Roman and Williams recently transformed the former Bow Street Magistrates Court and Police Station in Covent Garden into the first overseas outpost from American hotel brand NoMad.
      The photography is by Patricia Parinejad.

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      Batek Architekten renovates historic cinema in pastel and earth-coloured hues

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      German studio Batek Architekten has refurbished Yorck Kino Passage, one of the oldest cinemas in Berlin, adding a foyer bar with pistachio-coloured arches and covering its screening rooms in saturated colours.

      The local studio wanted the renovation to pay respect to the original neoclassical style of the 1908 cinema, while still giving it a contemporary feel.
      Decorative arches nod to the arched windows in the building’s facadeThe basic structure of the foyer in the 325-square-metre cinema, which has decorative stucco elements, is the original, as are the staircases and large cinema hall. Other rooms had been renovated and refurbished over the years.
      Batek Architekten drew on the building’s large arched windows when designing the new foyer bar, which has pistachio-green arches that contrast against the original linoleum floor’s reddish-brown colour.
      A pale pistachio-green hue elegantly contrasts dark wood”The brown floor colour was specified due to monument protection and our resource-conservative approach,” Batek Architekten founder Patrick Batek told Dezeen.

      “This led to the general choice of earthy tones, but we chose the pistachio as a surprising addition.”
      Batek Architekten chose cork cladding for the cupboardsThe studio also added a natural cork covering to the cupboards in the foyer, which has a number of practical advantages.
      “The natural cork wall cladding was installed for acoustic reasons, it conceals the drinks storage and staff room spaces and allows for the hanging of posters and notices,” Batek explained.
      Velvet fabric in green hues decorate the foyerIn addition, existing materials were reused as part of the renovation. Corten-steel cladding from the cinema’s old bar was upcycled and reinstalled as panelling, edging and fitting elements of the new bar.
      The studio also restored Yorck Kino Passage’s brass light fittings and plaster moldings.

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      As well as making interventions in the foyer, which now also features seating covered in forest-green and spring-green velvet fabric, Batek Architekten renovated two of the cinema’s smaller auditoriums.
      Here, the team added intense, deep colours that they felt were suitable for the ambience of the screening rooms, using blue for one and red for the other.
      A dark Prussian blue creates a dramatic auditorium”The auditoriums are in the basement of the building, and we wanted to create a more intimate atmosphere than in the original large lighter-coloured auditorium,” Batek said.
      “That’s why we clad it in dark Prussian blue fabric which contrasts nicely with the warm glow of the yellow-upholstered seating rows.”
      The studio added a deep red colour to the second screening roomA more traditional colour was chosen for the second room.
      “The other screening room is an interpretation of the classic cinema interior with a range of reds from rust to crimson covering walls and seating alike,” Batek explained.
      The studio also installed new podiums in the two auditoriums to create optimal visibility.
      One screening room nods to classic cinema interiorsBatek Architekten has a history of designing cinema interiors – having previously completed the Kino Delphi Lux cinema for the same client and refurbished the historic Blauer Stern cinema in Berlin.
      Among the studio’s other designs in the city is a duplex townhouse comprised of stacked cubes.
      The photography is by Marcus Wend.

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      Twelve Berlin architecture studios photographed by Marc Goodwin

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      British photographer Marc Goodwin has gone behind the scenes at 12 architecture studios in Berlin including Barkow Leibinger and Sauerbruch Hutton for the latest in his photography series exploring where architects work.

      Goodwin, who is the founder of studio Archmospheres, has documented architecture studios in cities across the world including Istanbul, Shanghai and São Paulo.
      Following a brief hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, he is now continuing his global tour by visiting offices across Europe including those in the German capital.
      “We are working our way around Europe at the moment and Berlin is of course one of the major stops on that tour,” he told Dezeen.
      “The idea was to go there two years ago but a little something got in the way.”

      São Paulo studios of Brazilian architects including Paulo Mendes da Rocha captured in photos

      The Berlin series offers a glimpse inside 12 architecture studios including Barkow Leibinger, LAVA, Sauerbruch Hutton and Studio Karhard, the designer of the city’s renowned nightclub Berghain. The studios range in size from three employees to 140 members of staff and occupy a mix of purpose-built offices and adaptively reused buildings.
      Goodwin described the experience as “Vorsprung durch Technik” – referring to the famous slogan of German carmaker Audi, which translates as “progress through technology”.
      “There was little of the Bohemian Berlin of bygone days – that was what struck me most,” Goodwin explained.
      “It seemed a very professional place of work and I’ll be interested to compare it with upcoming shoots in Munich, Frankfurt and Stuttgart.”
      Scroll down for a look inside 12 architecture studios in Berlin:

      Barkow Leibinger
      In this space since: 1997Number of members of staff: 80Building’s history: located at Schillerstraße 94 by Georg Lewy

      Bundschuh Architekten
      In this space since: 2007Number of members of staff: nineBuilding’s history: former counselling centre

      Christoph Hesse Architects (Berlin)
      In this space since: 2018Number of members of staff: threeBuilding’s history: old workshop

      FAR
      In this space since: 2019Number of members of staff: 10Building’s history: new build

      Graft
      In this space since: 2007Number of members of staff: 90Building’s history: former carburetor production facility

      Studio KarhardIn this space since: 2010Number of members of staff: nineBuilding’s history: residential

      Jasper
      In this space since: 2017Number of members of staff: 26Building’s history: office building

      JWA
      In this space since: 2018Number of members of staff: 27Building’s history: commercial building

      Kleihues
      In this space since: 1989Number of members of staff: 80Building’s history: former waste-loading station by Paul Baumgarten

      LAVA
      In this space since: 2021Number of members of staff: 29Building’s history: brewery and bottle store

      Richter Musikows
      In this space since: 2015Number of members of staff: eightBuilding’s history: new build

      Sauerbruch Hutton
      In this space since: 1991Number of members of staff: 140Building’s history: historic barracks

      Tchoban Voss (Berlin)
      In this space since: 1995Number of members of staff: total: 80Building’s history: located atHackesche Höfe complex by Kurt Berndt

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      Gisbert Pöppler designs Berlin apartment like a “tailor-made suit”

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      Architecture and interior design studio Gisbert Pöppler has overhauled an apartment in the heart of Berlin, adding a number of one-off furnishings and custom fixtures to suit the clients’ needs.

      The apartment, which was renovated from top to bottom, occupies a glass pavilion on the roof of a 1930s residential building in the borough of Mitte.
      Gisbert Pöppler has renovated a Berlin apartment and opened up its floor plan”In this project, our clients gave us a lot of freedom,” said Gisbert Pöppler, the studio’s eponymous founder. “That, however, does not mean that we imposed our design and taste on them.”
      “A good design is like a tailor-made suit,” he added. “It should fit perfectly without being the centre of attention.”
      Teak walls visually separate the study from the lacquered walls of the entrywayThe studio reorganised the floor plan so that the main bedroom, guest bedroom and bathroom are the only areas of the apartment that are completely closed off.

      Instead of walls, living spaces are now demarcated by different materials. In the study, surfaces are overlaid with teak while the entryway is panelled in red-lacquered wood.
      “The original plan was classic: hallway, room, room, room,” Pöppler explained. “We turned it into an open village.”
      The clients sourced the limestone used for the kitchen’s relief wallIn the kitchen, Gisbert Pöppler collaborated with the clients to design a simple geometric relief wall. This was crafted from a pale grey limestone that the owners sourced during a trip to Verona, Italy.
      The space is finished with an olive-green prep counter and mint-coloured cabinetry, both tailor-made to accommodate the owners’ selection of pots and pans.
      Bespoke storage cupboards hold the clients’ belongingsThe cane-inlaid storage cupboards that run throughout the apartment are also bespoke.
      Inside there are several shoe cubbies and shallow drawers, perfectly sized to hold the client’s array of shirts. The interior of the storage unit is lined with orange Formica, as the clients wanted it to be durable and easy to clean.

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      More unique details appear in the guest bathroom, which features a rounded washbasin made of white-glazed lava stone from Sicily’s Mount Etna. In contrast, dark oakwood was used to construct the basin’s base.
      The bathtub is set inside a deep wall niche clad in South American marble, with a dropped ceiling giving this space a cosier feel.
      A custom sink made from lava stone can be found in the guest bathroomThe ceiling in the living room was also lowered and covered with stainless steel panels.
      “One could assume that metal seems cool but it is the contrary,” Pöppler said. “The hazy reflections in the steel give the room a sense of height and have a comforting warmth to them.”
      Stainless steel lines the living room’s ceilingBespoke furnishings in the living room include the pentagonal white oak table in the breakfast nook and the formal wooden dining table, which Pöppler says has an “elaborately designed” underside.
      “We knew that the owner of the house often lies on the carpet listening to music, so we didn’t want him looking at a technical construction,” he said.
      The dining table was also made bespokeGisbert Pöppler isn’t the only studio to forgo off-the-shelf furnishings in its projects. Dutch practice i29 recently created a custom storage system for an Amsterdam apartment to accommodate the client’s extensive compilation of artworks and books.
      And in San Francisco, architect Jamie Bush filled a residence with an eclectic mix of custom furniture and vintage finds to make it look as if the owners had collected the pieces themselves.
      The photography is by Robert Rieger.

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