Once a luxury hotel, the main building of Sancta Maria in Kladow still stands majestically overlooking the banks of the Havel River. The building once provided wealthy guests with peace and relaxation until, following World War II, it opened its doors to those seeking refuge and was entrusted to the Hedwig Sisters. They transformed the house into a home for the many orphaned children of that era. This social mission continues today, as the building still serves in part as a residential children's home under the care of the Hedwig Sisters.

With demand for children's home placements rising across Germany and particularly in Berlin, the large building needed to be comprehensively renovated to function as a complete residential facility for children. Architect Andreas Bach was commissioned for the project. Working alongside regional craftspeople, he transformed the former luxury hotel and its grounds into a fully operational children's home. The renovation required addressing outdated electrical systems and utility infrastructure, redesigning bathrooms to meet current institutional standards and regulations, and installing new heating systems. Due to the building's considerable setback from neighboring properties, no additional noise barriers were necessary. "However," explains architect Andreas Bach, "the client requested lighting along the access paths, which needed to be designed in a way that wouldn't illuminate or disturb the adjacent residential properties."

The design philosophy centered on the wellbeing of the children. A priority was minimizing double occupancy—a challenging goal given the building's structural constraints, yet achieved: only two of seventeen rooms are configured as doubles. Equal care went into creating outdoor spaces tailored specifically for children.

While the fire safety plan didn't mandate an alarm system, the client chose to install one throughout the main building as an added layer of resident protection. The top floor now houses a soundproofed meeting room with glass walls—a thoughtful solution allowing residents to take in unobstructed views of Lake Wannsee even during meetings.

www.aba-bau.de

Photos:
Andreas Bach Architect

(Published in CUBE Berlin 03|25)