Prior to conversion in 2009, the Schneider Brauerei’s ice unit was dark, chilly and cavernous – it was designed to meet the refrigeration needs of the brewing process of 1891, clearly not those of human inhabitation.

As the former brewery is historically protected, permission was necessary to make changes in the building’s envelope. Thanks to the enthusiastic machinations of project architects Freundorfer/Nickols/Lieb, permission was granted to introduce a 12-meter-long skylight. With the addition of the skylight and removal of non-structural walls, the interior was brightened considerably.

At the heart of the central light-filled void, 8 meters tall, four structural pillars mark an area containing only a reflecting pool. Steps ripple up and outwards from this pool: due to the change in floor levels, five distinct ceiling heights create zones of varying degrees of intimacy. A stair climbs around a 7-meter-tall tower of plants to an open mezzanine above – the plants subtly humidify the air and affect the quality of light, emphasizing the feeling that one is in an external courtyard.

At the top of the staircase, a bridge connects galleries that are open to the ground floor 5 metres below: One gallery contains the master bed/bath/dressing and laundry rooms and the other study/guest rooms and a guest bathroom. Occupants vary the degree of privacy in the galleries by shifting “walls” of transluscent linen and thickly-textured fabrics, echoing the ochre hues of the old brick: When closed, the curtains create cocoon-like spaces; fully opened, they add warmth and soften the large volume visually, haptically and acoustically