Dockyard Lobbies
A lobby is the threshold between the outside world and your interior life. Far more than just liminal spaces, they act as immersive calling cards. They communicate a building’s character, identity and aspirations, giving spatial form to a corporate philosophy. We created two lobbies for the Dockyard, designed to reflect both the distinctive setting at Berlin’s Osthafen and the project’s brand values. The resulting spaces meet the shifting demands of contemporary working life with maximum flexibility, while creating genuine places for encounter and exchange.
Positioned directly on the banks of the River Spree, the Dockyard is one of the most sustainable office buildings in Germany. The architects at TCHOBAN VOSS developed a seven-storey, timber-hybrid complex with an innovative energy concept and one of the largest ice storage systems in Europe. Across approximately 32,000 square metres, the ensemble unites modern work environments with dining and retail spaces.
Both lobbies draw on the history of the former industrial harbour site and the values of project developer, Pecan Development. The outcome is a pair of sustainable, site-specific spaces that foster encounter, exchange and wayfinding.
The defining feature of both lobbies is a double-height void animated by the large-scale art installation Die Luft muss man sich wegdenken, 2025 by Berlin-based artist Julius von Bismarck. The suspended installation of bent wire evokes a monumental wave, multiplied over and over by the mirrored ceiling above.
Behind the reception desks, the installation is complemented by Obsession Series, 2025 by Korean designer and artist Kwangho Lee. His woven nylon ropes speak to the history of the harbour and the materiality of the place.
Together, the two works create identity-forming spaces with a strong presence and immediate recognition value, positioning the Dockyard as a creative, forward-looking address.
The interior concept reinterprets harbour typology: the seating landscape in the lounge recalls abstracted, stacked freight sacks; pendant lights reference loads suspended from cranes; the reception desk is held together by exposed straps, just like a shipping crate.
In this way, the history of the site is carried forward and the building’s wider sustainability concept is reinforced. Every element is designed to be reversible, modularly constructed and flexibly reconfigurable, responding to the dynamics of contemporary working life and remaining adaptable over time.
The interplay between modularity, movement, representation and sustainability is enhanced through a meticulous selection of high-quality materials. Wood meets sandblasted limestone, exposed concrete meets carpeting, natural stone meets vibrant terrazzo. Vertical spatial filters improve acoustics and give structure to the open plan. Layering, grids, lines and contrasts define the spatial atmosphere throughout.
Situated between arrival and onward movement, between information, communication and collaboration, we have created two spaces that offer orientation in a dynamic work world while remaining open to change. They make the Dockyard’s attitude and positioning spatially tangible, and strengthen it as a forward-looking destination. The concept is completed by a bespoke wayfinding system and a marketing suite on the fifth floor, cementing the Dockyard’s strong brand identity.
Dockyard wayfinding system
When you enter a building, you step into a story – and the lobby is its prologue. Here, identity, values and attitude become immediately tangible. Sophisticated materials, guided lighting and subtle zoning define the space just as much as the orientation cues themselves. At Berlin’s Osthafen, the story of the multi-tenant Dockyard building unfolds not only in the lobbies, but on every floor – from the underground car park to the top floor. To support this narrative, we developed a wayfinding system that harmonises the building’s architectural language with the existing corporate design. Seamlessly integrated into the architecture, it introduces a fresh visual layer while asserting a confident, distinctive presence.
Designed by TCHOBAN VOSS Architekten, the office building is defined above all by its distinctive façade: a rhythmic grid of cornices and pilaster strips. We drew inspiration from these projecting and receding elements, combining them with the striking logo typography to create individual floor numbers and pictograms. The floor numbers, for example, are 3D-printed, sintered and painted black, appearing as subtle, outline-based forms that merge seamlessly and sculpturally with their surroundings.
Curved motifs from the Dockyard word mark inform the pictograms, reflecting the dynamism of this contemporary work world. Executed in a refined black-and-white palette, the graphics integrate elegantly with the understated architecture – particularly in the sanitary areas, parking zones, circulation paths, access cores, technical and storage rooms. The wayfinding system delivers orientation intuitively, guiding visitors with precision while remaining quietly in the background – restrained in design, yet precise in function.
Dockyard marketing suite
Key to selling or leasing property is the ability to spatialise personal visions, transforming abstract numbers and plans into immersive, tangible experiences. In the Dockyard marketing suite, we not only provide inviting spaces for open dialogue and private negotiation, we curate an atmosphere that expresses the building’s attitude, quality and identity. Set directly on the banks of the River Spree, the suite makes a confident statement about sustainability and contemporary work-life happiness. The result is a temporary brand environment that embodies project developer Pecan Development’s philosophy – conveying essential facts while fostering trust and inspiring dreams, both grand and intimate.
Echoing the open-use office areas of the building, the marketing suite is conceived as a free and flexible floor plan – an imaginative arena for ideas and opportunity, where futures of work and life can be envisioned. Rather than traditional office zoning, the suite evokes the character of a spacious loft: a place that adapts effortlessly to its guests, whether they come to explore, sample, be inspired, celebrate or work. Its informal structure enables a rich variety of spatial constellations: from the reception area to a generous event space with DJ desk and a mobile campfire, to an enclosed meeting room, and a bar and lounge complete with sample rack. An outdoor terrace extends the experience, inviting visitors to pause, breathe the fresh Spree air and take in the expansive views.
Depending on need and occasion, zones can also be divided off or added on using curtains, allowing the 250-square-metre suite to shift fluidly between intimate conversations with prospective customers and smaller-scale events such as jour fixes, panel talks, presentations or networking dinners.
To spark new opportunities for dialogue and to gently imprint the project’s strengths and distinct qualities in the minds of visitors, we introduced an additional, more playful layer of communication in the form of discreet, discoverable clues. The DJ desk, for instance, houses a curated vinyl selection that nods to the clubs all around Dockyard; beer mats draw attention to neighbourhood bars and restaurants; and wooden catering boards reference the building’s hybrid timber construction. Short messages on the refrigerator allude to the innovative energy concept, while wooden postcard displays offer understated insights into the site, the architecture and the company’s wider ambitions.
In this way, the principles of neighbourship, flagship and companionship not only shape the informal narrative framework, they resonate through every detail.
In designing the suite, we extended the high-quality, precise atmosphere of the lobbies, translating it into a space that is both structured and adaptable. Grid systems and flexible elements allow the environment to shift and respond to changing needs, while resource-conscious materials and repurposed objects and furniture from the former marketing container underline a commitment to sustainability.
Art is given a thoughtful stage: Berlin artist Clemens Behr’s Alu Mosaic Nr.1 is seamlessly integrated into the large kitchen shelving, adding a localised dimension. Enriched with local character and site-specific features, the marketing suite becomes a place of encounter – where brand, people and opportunity converge.
