Set in a protected red-brick post office building on Skalitzer Strasse in Kreuzberg, the Spielfeld Digital Hub posed an intriguing challenge for Lxsy Architects: how to honor the building's heritage while reimagining it for contemporary use. The preservation order placed special emphasis on the building's distinctive hexagonal post office counter hall. The architects transformed this historic space into a flexible event venue, complete with a fixed stage and modular break-out areas that can be reconfigured with movable curtains to suit various workshop needs.

Access flows through a newly designed foyer that echoes the original hexagonal form through careful reconstruction of the ceiling vault. The public-facing spaces feature a café, meeting rooms, flexible coworking zones, and a tiered lounge area. At the heart of it all sits the bar counter, its striking red zigzag tile pattern a defining visual anchor. A central staircase descends to the basement level, housing restrooms, coat storage, and utility areas. The corporate studios—five offices available for short-term rental to external clients—line the foyer's perimeter. They're complemented by a small meeting room, workshop and seminar space, and a full conference room, plus a kitchenette. Strategic open niches and phone booths provide quiet zones, additional meeting nooks, and storage throughout the access corridors.

Birch-clad boxes, overlaid with subtle black grids, establish a strong spatial presence. Textile curtains hang from continuous steel rails throughout the space, serving dual purposes: they subtly divide rooms and enhance acoustics. The red lines traced by these curtain systems reference the colored boundaries of a sports field—a playful nod reflected in the space's name. The color palette thoughtfully merges historical dove blue with bold rust and fire-red accents. Stone-grey flooring and exposed concrete columns underscore the building's industrial legacy. Soft birch elements and lightweight linen-textured curtains provide a gentle counterpoint to these raw materials. This interplay between hard and soft surfaces creates the workspace's distinctive visual identity.

www.lxsy.de

Photography Credits:

i photograph buildings

(Originally published in CUBE Berlin 01|20)