An existing office building from the 1960s in the Berlin district of Charlottenburg, in the immediate vicinity of the Technical University (TU), is being converted into apartments for students and young professionals. It complements the perimeter block of Leibnizstrasse and enlivens the quarter with communal areas that open to the street, including a lounge, a live-in kitchen, an information point, a laundry room and a fitness room. The central stairwell and a barrier-free elevator connect all floors, on which a total of 81 apartments are arranged. The landscaped inner courtyard is designed for communal use. The existing reinforced concrete structure is gutted down to the shell structure and extended at the rear. The building blends harmoniously into the heterogeneous structure of Leibnizstrasse, yet the new street-side façade with its striking „curtain“ of gold-coloured expanded metal creates liveliness and a high recognition value.
Photos: Störmer Murphy and Partners
