Macro Sea converts Berlin factory into student residences
Ladders provide access to mezzanine sleeping areas in rooms at this student residence within a former car-radio button factory in Berlin's Kreuzberg district (+ slideshow).
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The 260-room G.27 Global Institute is spread across two buildings, which together make up 79,000 square feet (7,339 square metres) of space. Each floor has 40 rooms, and a communal kitchen and lounge space.
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Property developer Macro Sea sourced both vintage and contemporary pieces of furniture, with a focus on Danish and up-and-coming Berlin designers.
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Bedroom wardrobes are on wheels, to allow students to easily re-arrange room layouts, and include metal drawers made from storage boxes salvaged from the original factory.
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Rooms are available for single or double occupancy, and have bunkbeds or mezzanine sleeping areas - accessible via slatted ladder-style staircases with metal handrails.
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The project was developed for and overseen by non-profit organisation Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), which promotes international education and exchanges.
Shared living areas feature a mixture of old and new pieces in muted colours, while communal kitchens have a central bar and feature bright yellow accents.
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The building lobby – which was designed to be the "heart of the project" – has a bespoke stone reception desk and working fireplace, and offers multiple seating areas for socialising or studying.
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The buildings also house classrooms, an architectural studio, kitchens, a workshop, and an events space.
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The property developers partially excavated the front courtyard to create additional natural light in the building's basement, re-paved the courtyards and added a terraced lawn.
"Macro Sea sought to create an environment that treats students as savvy global citizens rather than wards of an institution," the company said in a statement.
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"Aiming to transform the traditional study-abroad experience, the project is a full-fledged "vertical campus" where living, academic classes, dining and socialising are stacked in the same building, creating a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary space that anticipates collaborative, project-based learning," they added.
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Elsewhere in Berlin, local practice Sauerbruch Hutton renovated and extended a former military uniform factory, to accommodate its own offices, while Kinzo transformed three floors of a former brewery into headquarters for audio platform Soundcloud.
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Photography is by Chris Mosier.
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