Project

pent_hau_s

Client
private
Services
interior design full service
A Stair to the Sky — Loft Living by Bötzow

Pandora’s Roof, Repaired and Renewed

A calm penthouse unfolds from an attic shell, spread over two levels: an open living area with a bespoke joiner-made kitchen; a clear oak stair as a spatial motif; overhead, a deep-blue mezzanine like a sky suspended above; and a roof terrace with broad views across Berlin. In parallel, serious legacy defects were addressed — from saturated roof insulation to improper steel connections. Everything was realised while the building remained occupied, without façade scaffolding and without a site lift.

Eichentreppe mit Glasgeländer, maßgefertigte, grifflose Küche in Lichtgrau; darüber der tiefblaue Dachraum mit Oberlichtern.

“Every so often, existing fabric reveals itself as a true Pandora’s box.”

Set just behind Chipperfield’s new Bötzow Quarter, the project began as a small-scale fit-out and soon revealed the realities of building in the existing fabric. To investigate moisture, parts of the common property were opened. The findings were unambiguous — completely soaked roof insulation and provisional steel joints — calling for thorough remediation. OOW coordinated with the homeowners’ association, replaced the insulation to a high standard and executed the steelwork to code. Through it all, the architectural intention stayed constant: a generous, unruffled living space where structure, material and light lead the composition. Beams and columns are left visible and folded into the design; finishes remain quiet, junctions exact. The bespoke, handle-less kitchen extends the spatial continuum — tranquil fronts, a glass splashback and an island that centres daily use. The internal oak stair sets the vertical theme. Overhead, a dark blue crown composes the roof form and draws in light; large openings turn the city into a companion, and the exit to the roof terrace makes the view part of the everyday ritual. Organisationally, the site required respect and restraint: materials moved without a lift, the sequence planned without a scaffold, with short phases and hushed logistics. Delivery by discipline: materials without a lift, sequencing without scaffolds, operations kept hushed. Where thorough repair meets effortless daily use — loft calm, townhouse rigour, penthouse views.

Leipziger Straße 56

10117 Berlin