Unlocking the Future: Transforming an Old Locksmith Shop into a Modern Haven

This 1931 building located in the Berliner neighbourhood of Neukölln has undergone a series of transformations since its inception. Initially built as a set of garages, it then became an art warehouse and exhibition hall, followed by a locksmith shop, and eventually fell into disuse until a small group of artists and creatives acquired it in 2018. The U-shaped construction around a central patio, reminiscent of a traditional "Dreiseitenhof" farm, is located inside a larger urban block. Its east and north wings have a single floor, while its west wing has two, with the offices of the old garages located on its upper floor. The initial construction consisted of two lateral wings erected on masonry walls and “Steineisendecke” type reinforced ceramic vault floors, supported by a series of metal beams.

The post-war extension of the U closed off its north wing with a pragmatic construction of concrete walls and a shed-type wooden roof with a longitudinal skylight. To maintain the building's original masonry façade, 20cm wood fibre panels were thermally insulated and sealed with charred pine wood formwork, using the traditional Japanese technique of Shou Sugi Ban. This method, which dates back to the Edo era of the 17th century, carbonizes the outer layer of the wood to provide a protective patina against weather and insects. The wooden planks used in this project were sourced from the Usedom region of the Baltic Sea, where a local carpenter recovered and reinterpreted the technique using pine from local forests. The window was also given a place in this project.

The shape and proportion of the windows have been adjusted, featuring lower parapets and wooden sills that serve as seating and resting areas both inside and outside the building. The roofs have been reinforced or replaced as needed, and insulated and covered with a vegetative layer. The central patio has been closed to vehicles and "renatured" by removing the asphalt layer and replacing it with topsoil and grass, with a walnut tree planted in the centre. Inside the building, a series of precise interventions such as new openings, insertions and partitions have been conducted with the goal of making the "smallest possible intervention”.

The goal is to make the building lighter and more open while still respecting its history. To do this, some walls have been sandblasted and left as-is to show their original texture. In other areas, a semi-transparent glaze has been applied to unify the space while still showing the material of the original building.