The Atelier Gardens campus, which has been under development since 2019 by London-based project developer Fabrix in collaboration with MVRDV Architekten, Hirschmüller Schindele Architekten and the landscape architecture firm Harris Bugg Studio, covers 23,800 m2.

As part of a regenerative master plan, the industrial area is to be gradually unsealed, re-greened and as much gray energy as possible preserved on the former film site. This transformative approach by Fabrix is based on the concept of an “Impact Campus”, which is made up of ecologically oriented companies and associations that, alongside film and media, are driving sustainable change in society, the environment and the climate.

The master plan includes the refurbishment and redesign of a six-hectare site with a total of five former film studios and eleven outbuildings. The most recent project is the refurbishment of the old office building Haus1 from 1997, which was converted into a striking reception and office building in 2023.

In addition to the memorable color scheme, it is the open, 57-meter-long staircase that gives the building its iconic character in typical MVRDV style: it zigzags down from the large roof terrace and the pavilion into the central garden. In addition to its function as a second escape route, it also serves as a playable event area and invites the “Changemaker” campus community and its visitors to linger.

Another extraordinary public space has been created with the new roof terrace that frames the pavilion. It offers a magnificent view of the Berlin skyline far beyond the neighboring Tempelhofer Feld. This distant view is also preserved inside the roof extension: an almost 13-metre-long and almost three-metre-high glass façade facing north is made up of six large sliding window elements.

The right choice of product for the glass facade was carefully considered. Project manager Markus Hirschmüller, partner at HS Architekten in Berlin: “We wanted as little profile as possible to be visible when closed and everything to be hidden when open.” In the end, the decision was made in favor of the highly thermally insulated cero III sliding window system from Solarlux. “The building elements look very elegant with their narrow profile design,” the architect continues. The system offers all-round window profiles of just 34 mm, allowing glass proportions of up to 98 percent. In addition, its operation is intuitive and its handling is smooth despite individual sash weights of 400 kg. Automation has been dispensed with.

The two project-specific opening variants of the six-part system ensure a variable, seamless transition between the interior and exterior space: in variant 1, the two outer cero sliding elements are “parked” on a three-track, barrier-free floor track in front of the two central window sashes; in variant 2, the two outer sliding windows are each pushed in front of two elements from the middle in order to achieve the full opening width.

The spatial concept in the cafeteria also impresses with its strong connection to the outside: three seamless transitions to the heart of the campus, the garden, can be created with folding glass walls.

The Ecoline folding glass wall system from Solarlux, which has a construction depth of just 67 millimetres, was chosen. With a filigree profile face width of just 99 millimetres at the sash joint, daylight can flood into the rooms almost unhindered.

With two rows of three and one row of six panels, they open up the cafeteria to a length of 2.80 meters and 4.20 meters respectively. Their height in building 1 is 2.30 meters. All three folding glass walls are each equipped with a revolving door. Markus Hirschmüller on the advantages of the system: “As the manufacturer can line up many elements and still offer a door function, several glass packages in the open state could be avoided”.