This project was part of a larger renovation of a house in Berlin and its conversion into a collective residence for 30 people. The brief called for the renovation of one floor of the front part of the building and its adaptation into the communal area for the collective. The scheme was realised by the residents themselves as part of a state-funded self-build programme.
The scheme consists of a large communal kitchen in the narrow side wing, together with two multi-purpose rooms serving as dining room, lounge and for occasional public events.
Three color-coded volumes, each a tilted rectangle, are drawn over the three rooms, so as to define zones within each room whilst at the same time linking the spaces together. These are manifest as a tone which colors everything within their enclosure – walls, floor, ceiling, furniture.
In the largest of the multipurpose spaces, a specially fabricated curtain rail supports and heavy fabric curtains allowing the accommodation of different programs, lighting conditions, degrees of intimacy.
The large, collective kitchen also serves as a major circulation space in the house and informal gathering space. The bespoke furniture stimulates this diversity of use, with elements providing functional organization, efficient storage as well as niches for hanging out. Specially designed lighting provides task and atmospheric illumination for the space.
Client: WaWaVox e.V. // Collaboration: Inhabitants of Kastanienallee 77; Matthias Heyden // Services: Detailed design of interior fittout and funrniture for collective areas // Area: 60 m² // Budget: 50 000 DM