DSTRCT.Berlin “Old Slaughterhouses” / Gewers Pudewill

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Text description provided by the architects.After 30 years of vacancy, decay, and fire damage, new life was brought into the last remaining unrenovated halls of the former slaughterhouse, which are listed as historical monuments. The refurbishment and structural-physical upgrading in line with the requirements of a listed building was equivalent to a completely new building in terms of technical and financial expenditure.The result of the metamorphosis from slaughterhouse halls used on an industrial scale, built around the turn of the century, to today’s demands and expectations of modern offices and special spaces with a historical connection speaks for itself.The installation of new gallery levels in the halls, the careful accentuation and exposure of the structural features of the original halls, and the structuring of the large areas create a playground for the users that allows for identity-creating, future-oriented office uses with a high degree of flexibility.The careful transformation of the buildings into the new phase of use, in which even individual graffiti were preserved as evidence of the (illegal) interim use typical ofBerlin, shows once again the importance of preserving and continuing to use historic building fabric. The halls are not only suitable for new uses, but they also give the themes of work, communication, quality of stay, identity, and diversity a unique and distinctive dimension.