Sterngucker, Berlin

“The client’s brief had been to open the space up to the sky and the stars, a request the architects fulfilled beyond all expectations. The character of the new living and working spaces on and in the roof was to be extroverted yet private, with all rooms—with the exception of the studio—designed to accommodate varying uses. The architects met his wishes with a sort of ‘ready-made’ approach—minimal reconstruction dictated by structural and historic preservation requirements, combined with a maximum of tactile and visual experiences…..” – Claus Käpplinger

A glass box on a rooftop terrace with a view of the stars—that was the initial vision of the artist couple Susanne Kleinlein and Ulrich Jansen. They decided not only to enhance the old apartment by redesigning the roof, but also to better realize its inherent potential. In the middle of what was once the Berlin-style living room stands a cube that serves more than just as a kitchen: behind a cladding of anthracite-colored Eternit panels of varying sizes lie a walk-in closet and other storage solutions. The kitchen area is set apart from the rest of the room by a raised platform. At first glance, the material appears to be elegantly grained wood. Upon closer inspection, however, one recognizes the surface as fiberboard panels, which the client herself finished with a striking wood-grain texture. The treads of the staircase leading to the roof are also made of Eternit, creating an additional connection between the spaces. The tactile qualities of the anthracite-dyed Eternit panels were decisive in the choice of materials; properties such as low dirt adhesion and impact resistance were further reasons for using them indoors as well.