Project: Berlin Loft in a Former Car Repair Shop
Architects: Studio Karhard
Project Team: Thomas Karsten, Alexandra Erhard, Anne Lüdtke, Christian Sommer, Lennart Zemke
Location: Berlin, Germany
Area: 280 m2
Completed 2020
Photo Credits: Stefan Wolf Lucks
Text by Studio Karhard
The spacious loft on the ground floor of a commercial rear building in Berlin Kreuzberg is located in the rooms of a former car repair shop.
Together with the owner, a spacious living and working environment was created, which atmosphere is not only due to the choice of materials but also through technically complex and sophisticated measures such as the underfloor heating and the acoustic ceiling.
Both of these do not appear, but make a decisive contribution to wellbeing. An installation for the kitchen and bathroom with sauna was created in the former workshop, with a workspace and a media lounge on the upper level.
The materials used correspond to the character of the workshop, such as raw brick and oiled metal. In addition, a large, solid brick step was introduced as a space-forming element, which connects to a mighty open fireplace.
All fixtures in this area of the room are very restrained and suggest that they have always been there. The bedroom and bathroom consist of a spatial unit that has been lavishly covered with a leveled concrete surface and is illuminated with internal windows and glass elements.
In the side part there is the children’s room and the study. The desire for sufficient storage space was also taken into account, which was implemented in various built-in cupboards with surfaces in Linoleum with wood elements. The materials used were coordinated in detail with the owner. The spectrum ranges from cement tiles with graphic ornaments, manufactured steel glass walls and a large number of specially designed and manufactured built-in furniture.
