Historic Umgebindehaus converted into design HQ in Germany
Leipzig-based architects Atelier ST reimagine a historic 18th-century Upper Lusatia structure, as the company headquarters for German kitchen and furniture manufacturer Möbel Starke
In a sensitive restoration of a historic 18th-century Upper Lusatia structure, the Faktorenhaus Schönbach has been given a thorough overhaul and repurposed as a company headquarters, retaining many of its key characteristics in its new office architecture. The work of Leipzig-based architecture practice Atelier ST, the renovation retains the splendour of the half-timbered structure, exposing it wherever possible, while also weaving in contemporary elements, including materials, lighting and fixtures.
Characteristics of an Umgebindehaus
The traditional Upper Lusatia Umgebindehaus is characterised by its mix of timber-framing and stone methods of construction. It is common in the region running from Silesia through Upper Lusatia and North Bohemia and into Saxon Switzerland.
In this example, the original building was completed in 1785 as a multifunctional space that would have housed craftspeople, small-scale manufacturing and even accommodation. This building type is typical of the Upper Lusatia region, with a timber-clad façade above a rendered ground floor, and a steep tiled roof, with signature shallow arched dormer windows, and plenty of space for living and working.
A sensitive restoration
The client, German kitchen and furniture manufacturers Möbel Starke, spent two years converting this former historic factory into its administrative HQ, which opened at the tail-end of last year.
The restoration involved stripping the interior back to the bare shell and replacing worn and damaged brick, stone and wooden structural elements, all the way from the vaulted basements to the soaring double-height roof space. The client furnished much of the interior from its own product ranges, pairing custom pieces with vintage and reclaimed chairs.
The ground floor contains a communal eating space, with a new kitchen and a modern fireplace, while meeting rooms and small offices are cleverly woven into the timber trusses on the floors above. These timbers are newly painted white, and the top two floors are flooded with light from the restored dormers.
The listed building has been given a new lease of life, one that honours the sophistication of its original construction while also staying true to the multifunctional ethos of the elegant Umgebindehaus, a typology found throughout Upper Lusatia.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
- Robert Rieger - PhotographyPhotographer
-
Aesop’s Salone del Mobile 2024 installations in Milan are multisensory experiences
Aesop has partnered with Salone del Mobile to launch a series of installations across Milan, tapping into sight, touch, taste, and scent
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Dial into the Boring Phone and more smartphone alternatives
From the deliberately dull new Boring Phone to Honor’s latest hook-up with Porsche, a host of new devices that do the phone thing slightly differently
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Berlinde De Bruyckere’s angels without faces touch down in Venice church
Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere’s recent archangel sculptures occupy the 16th-century white marble Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore for the Venice Biennale 2024
By Osman Can Yerebakan Published
-
Reethaus is a performance space conceived as ‘a place for radical presence’ in Berlin
Reethaus, a newly opened cultural centre in Berlin, kick-starts a fresh era for the city’s growing creative neighbourhood of Flussbad
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Duplex brings two houses together as a single, raw, theatrical home in Leipzig
Duplex by Atelier ST is a raw and textured family home born of the transformation of two smaller residential buildings in Leipzig, Germany
By Ellen Himelfarb Published
-
Berlin's Atelier Gardens gets bright yellow focal point within MVRDV masterplan
The bright yellow HAUS 1 becomes a key addition to Atelier Gardens in Berlin, part of an ever-evolving, sustainable masterplan by MVRDV
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
Bike-tyre maker Schwalbe’s HQ embraces sustainability through design
The new Schwalbe office building in Germany, featuring interiors designed by Archiproba Studios, champions contemporary sustainable architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This Berlin house balances romance and strength in a scenic plot
A Berlin house transformed by O'Sullivan Skoufoglou is both romantic and protective
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
KHBT Studio crafts German suburban home overlooking a nature reserve
House ZdM9 is a new German suburban home for a family, set on a spectacular site close to Frankfurt and the River Main
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A ‘contemporary palazzo’ by David Chipperfield and Studio Mark Randel rises in Munich
‘Contemporary palazzo’ housing project in Munich is designed by David Chipperfield and Studio Mark Randel
By Ellen Himelfarb Published
-
Last days of Berlin’s Tegel Airport celebrated in new photo book
Photographer Andreas Gehrke celebrates Tegel Airport and creates an intimate portrait of the place where the passengers have departed forever
By Jonathan Bell Published