Another day, another former Nazi bunker finding new life in modern-day Berlin. This time, the unlikely makeover candidate is this former air-raid shelter from 1943, which looks like a scary, giant block of concrete from the exterior, punctured by just a few rows of tiny windows. Inside, though, a massive renovation project at the hands of Berlin-based firm Realarchitektur and art collector Christian Boros has transformed the space into a combination art gallery—where Boros displays his personal collection—and luxury penthouse.
The biggest hurdle in adapting the monolith—which has hosted both a tropical fruit warehouse known as the "Banana Bunker" and "hard-core fetish and techno parties in the 1990's" since its Third Reich days —came from extracting 888-square-feet of concrete to make room for a 4,843-square-foot apartment. Floor to ceiling glass walls that look into the private garden, complete with luscious gardens and a pool, combat the harshness, but still, the owner isn't quite comfortable in his home just yet. "I take a look at the building and still cannot believe that I live there. The structure is so bulky and not easy to digest," says Boros. "It is impossible to forget the past when one lives in such a monstrous construction that breathes its inevitable severity." More bulky photos, this way.
· [Arch Daily]
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