Berlin's old brick industrial buildings are everywhere – and this site near Moritzplatz tells a particularly rich story. Trade and vibrant nightlife once flourished here, even during the Wall years. The Armaturenwerke Bernhard Joseph AG, founded in 1898 and later merged with Aqua-Butzke, operated from Lobeckstraße and Ritterstraße until the 1990s. Today, this complex embodies 125 years of architectural evolution. The latest chapter began in 2017 when Hamburg and Berlin-based architect Karsten Groot set about reimagining, renovating, and expanding large sections of the site – a transformation still underway. The patchwork appearance is unsurprising: decades of additions have created layers of history, with new work now sitting atop the old. The three-part project starts at Lobeckstraße with a two-storey structure originally planned as a four-storey building in the 1970s but left incomplete. Groot finished what was started, adding a third storey to create generous office spaces. The era-defining expressive colored base façade was carefully restored, while the new upper floors feature a glass and aluminum-louvered design that provides both elegance and sun protection. A striking red-orange aerial bridge spans the courtyard, linking the new construction to the historic building and its beautifully preserved inner courtyard facing Ritterstraße. Here, the architect tackled substantial war damage and restored the original mansard roof. Working within strict heritage constraints, Groot introduced a dramatic roofscape with four prominent corner pavilions, crowned with terraces offering sweeping views across Berlin. The third component is a bold new concrete structure on Ritterstraße – a narrow addition that deftly integrates with the existing clinker façade through striking trapezoidal window openings. The result is Aqua-Carré: a vibrant creative hub housing startups, artist studios, design offices, fashion labels, and a recording studio.

www.karstengroot-architektur.de

Photography:

Ulrich Schwarz
www.ulrichschwarz.eu

(Published in CUBE Berlin 02|24)