German practice Grüntuch Ernst Architects, founded in 1991, has converted an abandoned women’s prison – composed of a duo of 19th-century structures – in the Charlottenburg district, in Berlin, into a hotel called Wilmina.
Former Berlin prison converted into a hotel
Grüntuch Ernst Architects has undertaken the task of rehabilitating a space designed to be antisocial, making it welcoming.
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- Lucia Brandoli
- 29 July 2022
The former court hosts the reception as well as a temporary gallery; then, an extension – housing the restaurant – connects the courthouse to the U-shaped cell block, which fits 44 guest rooms across five levels, including a new penthouse floor on the top. A roof terrace was also added, as well as a library, a bar, a spa, and a gym. The interiors respect buildings’ existing architecture and reveal traces of their former use.
“The [design] process involved reversing the spatial configuration and its meaning so that an anti-social space can become an inviting place,” said Grüntuch Ernst Architects.
Image courtesy of Grüntuch Ernst Architects. Photography by Patricia Parinejad.
Image courtesy of Grüntuch Ernst Architects. Photography by Patricia Parinejad.
Image courtesy of Grüntuch Ernst Architects. Photography by Patricia Parinejad.
Image courtesy of Grüntuch Ernst Architects. Photography by Patricia Parinejad.
Image courtesy of Grüntuch Ernst Architects. Photography by Patricia Parinejad.
Image courtesy of Grüntuch Ernst Architects. Photography by Patricia Parinejad.