On the eastern "Baufeld A" of the Spree studios, former garages and workshops of the GDR customs administration are being converted into commercial units. By adding a new storey to the existing structure customizable units between 50 bis 650 m2 are being developed.
In contrast to the raw existing structure of the industrial artefacts, the new structures of the extensions are abstractly detailed with a diffusely reflecting outer skin made of stainless steel-clad bitumen sheets.
The 12 shed roofs extend the simple brick garage base from the 1950s by two suspended intermediate levels and spacious outdoor terraces to form a complex, multi-storey open structure. The extension is more of a spacious roof than an additional floor.
The extension of the waterside hall doubles the existing volume. An exposed staircase sculpture opens up three exposed units with alternating spatial sections. The flat existing roof made of precast concrete forms the underside of the new floor slab and levels the floor of the upper floor. The deep rooms, spanning the two opposing façades, direct the view from the courtyard to the Spree.
Following the original liveliness of the public place of the river baths, public spaces and niches are created, alternating between private and semi-private uses. New elements such as entrances, stairs and terraces are staged and oversized to create new special tensions.