The protagonists of FAB Berlin at FAB Castellarano

During CERSAIE 2016 we got a chance to meet the protagonists of “Transformation of a space” which took place over a one-year period at FAB Fiandre Architectural Bureau in Berlin, curated by Volker Halbach, blauraum architekten, and Sally Below, sbca.



Talking about architecture with an architect is always personally enriching, because it gives you an insight into the background for the design and theme of a given architectural work. So we jumped at the opportunity during CERSAIE 2016 at FAB Castellarano to meet the curators and some of the designers who have turned FAB Fiandre Architectural Bureau Berlin - the gallery-showroom of Graniti Fiandre and Porcelaingres in Berlin Kreuzberg - into a multifunctional space for the culture of design.



And they did it all using the raw material that the place actually handles - maxi-format porcelain stoneware tiles - even though this was not part of the brief or even recommended for the space, just a spontaneous decision that emerged from the first of the three theme workshops, which began in 2015, ended on 24 June 2016 and then became part of the Tag der Architektur circuit.



Volker Halbach, founding partner of blauraum architekten with offices in Hamburg and Berlin, and Sally Below (sbca), together with Laura Fogarasi-Ludloff (Ludloff + Ludloff Architekten, Berlin), Nils Buschmann (RobertNeun Architekten, Berlin) and Ruth Berktold (YES architecture, Munich/New York) from the first workshop, told the story of the idea of teamwork with input from a representative of another artistic discipline. 





A modus operandi that the designers really appreciated too, due to the group dynamics and exchange of ideas, leading to an unconventional solution to transform the space in the Sarotti-Höfe, in Bergmannkiez, Kreuzberg with a stand-out multifunctional sculpture made using the maxi-format tiles of Graniti Fiandre.



On 16 November, this will be the location for the awards to the winners of the 5th Next Landmark contest promoted by Floornature.com.

Christiane Bürklein

FAB Berlin, Mehringdamm, Berlin
Images: courtesy of FAB Berlin