02Thesis Project

Das Werk

LocationGörlitz, Germany

Year2025

TypePost-Industrial Renovation

Exterior render of Das Werk, the red steel circulation structure against the restored factory façade

Description

Das Werk explores how abandoned buildings in Görlitz can be reactivated through participation. A former textile factory served as the catalyst project to test this strategy, at both architectural and urban scale.

The proposal combines housing, coworking, workshops and public space to connect residents and visitors. The existing industrial structure — the Werk 1 factory building and the adjoining Werkshalle — is preserved, and a lightweight steel layer is added on top to create shared circulation and flexible space, expressed on the façade as a bright red exoskeleton of stairs and platforms.

Adaptive ReuseIndustrial HeritageUrban StrategySteel Structure

Interior view of the red steel atrium and circulation stair

Hand-drawn urban strategy axonometric of the Görlitz block, Das Werk highlighted in red

Ground floor plan of the Das Werk complex across Werk 1 and Werk 2

Long sections through Werk 1 (Fabrik) and Werk 2 (Werkshalle)

Upper floor plans showing long-term and short-term living units

Construction detail of the Werkshalle roof and façade assembly

Utility box and structural connection axonometrics

Urban research on housing demand and vacancy in central Görlitz

Design Strategy

Urban Strategy

On an urban scale, the project proposes a strategy that can be replicated across Görlitz: by activating one building as a participatory hub, surrounding vacant structures can gradually be re-integrated into the urban fabric.

The goal is not rapid redevelopment, but long-term transformation driven by community involvement and existing resources — abandoned buildings treated as active social infrastructure rather than sites for demolition.