Michelberger Farm

Michelberger Farm, south of Berlin, is a place that celebrates the gastronomy process — from planting seeds through regenerative agriculture to the enjoyment of high-end food. The new wing is a brick-and-wood building, with both materials processed in the same way we treat our food: harvested, taken from the ground, dried, heated, and assembled — full of exciting textures, scents, and colour hues. Instead of closing the inner court with a fourth wing, the ground floor’s glass façade allows the view to transition and wander off into the fields beyond.

The 19th-century farm consisted of a four-wing ensemble centered around an inner court, a typology typical for the Spreewald region. The client’s brief was essentially to transform the beautiful field into an experience for guests. The building between the court and the field was a ruin, so it was taken down and replaced with a new structure for cooking, dining, and sleeping. Wood from the old ruin was repurposed into a long dining table. The “Cosy” rooms are a unique feature of this hotel. They are designed small, almost like cells in a monastery. The idea is to move most of the usual functions of a hotel room into the common spaces of the building. Outside each room, along the balcony hallway, are desks for working that offer privacy while maintaining a sense of connection to the activities below. The roof of the brick tower forms the highest point on the property. Like a stork’s nest, it offers a 360° vista while providing a private, secluded spot dedicated to the ritual of bathing.

The vernacular red brick façade is tilted down to now form the floor of the slightly elevated plinth from which two large brick elements are extruded: one forming a kitchen block, while the other offers space for a cosy fireplace and extends beyond the building to create the connection to the upper floor, seemingly carrying the hovering roof. A large wooden beam is suspended between the tower and the gables, from which the entire upper floor is hung. This leaves the common space on the ground floor column-free for flexible use. Complementing the red bricks and traditional red-tiled roof, dark, charred wood in the interiors completes the earthy, tactile aesthetics of the warm material palette. All materials are inspired by local vernacular architecture and sourced locally allowing them to acquire a patina over time. In this way, maintenance is kept to a minimum. Solar panels providing electricity for the ensemble are located on the existing barn south of the new building.