Residential Building in Berlin by J. Mayer H

J. Mayer H. and Partners have renovated a small, secluded building located within the inner courtyard of an apartment block in Berlin-Mitte. This L-shaped structure comprises a one-storey and a two-storey section. Built between the 1960s and 1980s, it stands on the site of a war-damaged coach house. Found and collected building materials were used. The newly designed building now serves as a home for a family with three children, complete with an adjacent garden.

The specific colour scheme gives the rooms an artificial character. © Frank Sperling

As a result of the original reconstruction, the existing building features a variety of different heights, split levels and irregularly shaped rooms. The architects retained the gradually developed spatial structure and focused on the surfaces, preserving stair railings, doors, tiles and light switches from all construction phases. These surfaces were reworked and given a uniform, reflective, monochrome finish that extends over the existing surface-mounted installations.

The garden features a sculpture by Tony Matelli. © Frank Sperling

As a result, the house is less reminiscent of a family home and more like an art gallery for particularly eccentric furniture design or the set of a David Lynch film. Neon tubes are reflected on the cheesecake-coloured ceiling, brown-red floor, and blue bathroom tiles, adding to the artificial character of each room. The desire for style is also evident in the outdoor area, with furniture by Muller Van Severen and a sculpture by artist Tony Matelli as further distinguishing features.