In 2007, four friends from Bavaria sat together in Berlin and decided to create their own website as a way of addressing the lack of players for the cult Bavarian card game "Schafkopf." Seven years later, the enterprise had grown to be so successful that new premises were needed for the now 14-strong "Sauspiel GmbH" team. The developers found what they were looking for in the popular area of “Kreuzkölln.” A particularly fine example of historic industrial architecture -

the old chocolate factory

- was up for sale and part of the raised ground floor was secured as a new future office. An open work structure and flat hierarchy were essential components influencing the plans, combined with the desire for plenty of storage space and a separate apartment for guests. Furthermore, sanitary facilities and a kitchen needed to be created. Of particular importance was installing the technical services and connections in a way that would not disrupt the original structure and historic features of the building.

Built around 1870, the "Chocolate Factory" is one of the oldest commercial buildings in this part of Berlin. In fact, chocolate was produced here from 1926 to 1973. In 1976/1977, the building gained

notoriety

because it was converted, with the consent of the owner but not the local district government, into shared flats. Repeated threats of eviction never materialized and in the following decades the building became known for its residents' festivals, for housing the first Turkish cultural association, and hosting a children's theater known as “Klecks.” It was only in the 1990s/early 2000s that the conversion to individual living spaces really began. Alongside the new fire-safety plans for the separate apartments, which included the addition of the unsightly fire escapes built onto the facade, the raw material of the building was assessed and prepared for future work. Thankfully, during this work no major, character-destroying interventions were made to the original substance of the building, despite it not being historically listed at the time.

The design, although integrating exciting new materials, is strongly based on the original building. The result is a

field of tension between old and new.

The modern fitted units - which at first appear subtle and subordinate - on closer inspection reveal the functional insides of the built space.

An equal importance was placed on quality and durability for all new materials, which were also selected to

compliment the existing features.

One particular challenge was linking-up the freestanding workstations without destroying the existing floor. The solution came from above:

11 rotatable steel cranes

with a movable cable-reel supply the adjustable tables with power and IT technologies. Accordingly, suitable tables were chosen in which the cables can be passed through a slot from above to the devices.

The design of the large built-in units was

fitted to the existing structure.

The curves of the vaulted ceilings were used as a source of inspiration for an exciting distribution of the unit’s compartments.

The complete

interior of the built-in dividing unit

is set in dark colors. The same color scheme was applied not only to the storage areas, but also the kitchenette and the WCs. There are separate male and female WCs, with a small front area with a washbasin.

The new staircase leads to the upper level. On the wall next to the stairs,

decorative shadows

from the new railing liven-up the space.

The new window was placed exactly in line with the passageway between the entrance and the office, creating

a visual connection

across the entire office unit.