Berlin co-working space offers "more than a boring desk"

Local studio Bruzkus Greenberg has designed a community co-working space in Berlin, filled with bespoke furniture created to shake off the impression of a branded showroom.

Bruzkus Greenberg, formerly known as Ester Bruzkus Architekten, designed the co-working space on the ground and first floors at the central office building C1 Alexanderplatz Berlin.

Library by Bruzkus Greenberg — Bruzkus Greenberg filled the co-working space with custom furniture

The duo of levels contains a range of shared amenities for the office workers above, from meeting rooms and informal workspaces to a cafe, a cinema and a gym.

Bruzkus Greenberg filled various rooms with custom furniture designed for the project, including the ground floor library, which features a floor-to-ceiling timber shelving unit and a large communal table illuminated by a continuous brass downlight.

Leopard room — The "leopard room" is one of a handful of comfortable meeting spaces

"We didn't want it to feel like a showroom for a particular brand of furniture, so we designed our own," said studio co-founders Ester Bruzkus and Peter Greenberg.

"A good place to work should offer more than a boring desk," they told Dezeen.

Seating area by Bruzkus and Greenberg — Bruzkus and Greenberg didn't want the project to "feel like a showroom"

Also on the ground floor, the "leopard room" is one of a handful of comfortable meeting spaces designed with domesticity in mind.

A bespoke sofa upholstered in salmon boucle was paired with a low-slung timber coffee table topped with veiny stone.

Designed by Austrian creative Laudris Gallée, a handwoven wall tapestry was suspended above the furniture, depicting an illustrative pink leopard.

Reception area — The duo paired custom furniture with vintage pieces

Bruzkus and Greenberg explained that they wanted to create domestic-style rooms to help colleagues feel at home, and encourage them to return to the workplace by conceiving "zones that feel like living rooms or comfy corners".

"People like choices," said the designers. "Sometimes you want a desk to spread stuff out, and sometimes you want to type on your laptop on a sofa."

Arena — Armchairs by the studio feature on the first floor's "arena"

The duo selected vintage pieces to blend with their bespoke furniture to create a sense of eclecticism.

"We want to invite in quirky moments, not just to be foolishly consistent," they said. "Great rooms are made with contrast, not just uniformity. Combining old and new creates unique character."

The first floor includes the "arena", a built-in, stepped seating area finished with smooth stone flooring. A pair of swivelled Bruzkus Greenberg armchairs features in this space, clad with tiger-stripe-patterned fabric.

On the same level, a large conference room was clad with dark timber and filled with a mix of bespoke and vintage pieces, like the rest of the co-working space.

Seating area in co-working space — The project is in central Berlin

Ester Bruzkus Architekten was founded by Ester Bruzkus in 2002. In 2016, she joined forces with Peter Greenberg to create Bruzkus Greenberg.

The studio has completed other projects in Berlin ranging from a colourful poke restaurant designed to reference David Hockney paintings and another restaurant defined by cherry-red joinery.

The photography is by Robert Rieger.

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