Studio IFUB designed the interiors of Sauspiel’s new offices in the district of Neukölln, very close to the better known Kreuzberg, in Berlin. The building, built around 1870, used to be a chocolate factory. The task was to create an open space with offices and a lot of storage space, together with a separate little office and a flat for guests.
Office makeover
In a former chocolate factory building in Berlin, studio IFUB designed the interiors of Sauspiel, keeping its industrial beauty and adding custom made furniture.
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- 18 November 2016
- Berlin
Sanitation facilities and a little kitchen were also missing. An especially interesting problem to solve was the power and data supply of the new workplaces in a building, without destroying the original material. Called the “Schokoladenfabrik” the building is one of the oldest preserved commercial buildings in this part of Berlin. All design considerations were driven by the wish to show and preserve the existing in it’s original form. The removal of later additions and unorderly structures was therefore the starting point for the spacial concept where the whole unit was reorganized, with added structures.
In the main office on the lower level, a structure that is a wall-like built-in furniture separates the working area from the anteroom. It holds not only storage and an the open kitchenette, but it also hides toilets and a secret second entrance insides. On the upper level the second structure shows itself more openly as a new element. The upper area can not only be used as a meeting and a lounge room but also as a little flat. With a separate entrance from the staircase, guests can be hosted here completely autonomous from the operating office.
A beautiful brick ceiling together with the original brick flooring forms the framework of the colour and material concept. An especially challenging task for the architects was to supply the free standing workplaces without destroying the original flooring. The solution came from above, with eleven turnable steel cranes with moveable cable reels supply electricity and data for the tables, now free to be placed all around the office.
Sauspiel Office, Berlin, Germany
Program: office renovation
Architects: IFUB
Completion: 2015