The historic post office com-plex in Berlin Schöneberg has been painstakingly renovated, expanded and transformed into a contemporary ensemble of offices, apartments, restaurants, shops and sports facilities by GRAFT Architekten and the project developer Trockland.

Two new buildings that interpret the theme of brick architecture in a contemporary way have been added to the existing commercial brick buildings, some of which are listed and date back to the beginning of the 20th Century. Connected via several inner courtyards, a new and diverse quarter covering a total of 32,000 m2 has been created and is open to the public. The individual building units each have their own unique character, but are united by the brick material that they all share in com-mon. The existing buildings originally used for commercial purposes can still be identified as such.

The area around the building complex is one of the most popular residential areas in the city. The transformation of the historic post office building and opening of the site to the residents of Berlin is an important part of preserving this vibrant neighbourhood.

The two new buildings in the form of a perimeter block development, which now provide the complex with its characteristic appearance facing the adjacent streets of Hauptstraße and Belziger Straße, are particularly striking. Both residential buildings are made of reinforced concrete and encased in brick façades with punched openings and remarkably large windows, which were designed using the Schüco AWS 75.SI aluminium window system. The advantage of the highly thermally insulated system is its versatility as a punched opening, ribbon window, façade insert unit or in combi-nation with Schüco door systems – a key aspect in light of the multifunctional building complex’s wide variety of requirements.

The façade of the building facing onto Hauptstraße is gradually staggered back from the road on the upper floors, while the windows framed in golden boxes appear to extend further and further out into the street. This is actually an optical illusion, as all the windows and boxes are arranged in a vertical line. The striking, organic curves in the entrance area make it look as though the complex wants to suck passers-by inside. As you cross the complex, you walk past the historic existing buildings. The FWS 50.HI mullion/transom system has been used to improve the thermal insulation of the aluminium and glass façade units to make them fit for the future. The second new building is located on the opposite side, on Belziger Straße, and is elevated on pillars in order to preserve the former gatehouse as a historical highlight on the ground floor, while integrating it into the complex. Balconies with organic curves are positioned in front of large window and door openings, which have also been designed with the Schüco AWS 75.SI system. The Schüco ADS 75 HD.HI aluminium door system and the Schüco ASS 70.HI sliding and lift-and-slide system – the highly thermally insulated versions in all instances – were used for the large doors.

Source: Profile magazine, issue 26

Download the profile 26 here (pdf, 8.4 MB)