A workplace could hardly be more idyllic: A coworking space covering 2,200 m² has been created on a historic site for Unicorn, a company specializing in desk and office rental. There is no sign of a dull working atmosphere here. The Berlin and Munich-based architecture firm dreigegeneinen converted the double farmstead that once belonged to the historic Bohemian Village, where Protestants who were driven out of religious battles settled in the 18th century. In the years before the conversion, a car repair shop with garages had been located here, as well as storage and office space. Due to the listed building status, the existing building had to be treated with great sensitivity.

The conversion included the renovation of the former car workshop and the courtyard buildings used as storage and office space as well as the demolition of a rear building, a low-rise building in the courtyard and the garage buildings and the construction of two new buildings under the strict supervision of the heritage office. The new buildings were erected on the historic floor plans and fully meet the requirements of the office in terms of cubature, ridge and eaves height and appearance. A previously enclosed passageway to Kirchgasse at the rear was reopened by restoring the original access between the two newly built houses. In total, the ensemble consists of two front buildings on Richardstrasse, two side wings and two rear buildings. A field of tension is created between the old and new buildings in the square - renovated existing buildings on the left and new buildings on the right. A café in the courtyard is a popular meeting place. The courtyard area has also been restored to cobblestones. This is not a reconstruction, but a reinterpretation. Only the footprint and the eaves and ridge height as well as the crown roofing correspond roughly to the historical model - apart, of course, from the new, large windows, dormers and glass surfaces, which are intended to create transparency among the people working here. Some of the old roof beams have been preserved on the upper floor, new industrial parquet flooring has been laid and some of the walls have been whitewashed. Interested parties can now rent a single workstation here, while start-ups can rent an open-plan office.

www.dreigegeneinen.eu

(Published in CUBE Berlin 03|20)