Rail depot in Wittstock (Dosse): Design Station in the former engine depot

Built in 1885 and extended in 1910 and again in the 1930s, the engine shed equipped with a wagon workshop and a locksmith’s shop is part of the rail depot of Wittstock (Dosse), which was decommissioned in 1994. Over 20 years later in 2016, the town purchased the area including the buildings, some of which are listed, with the intention of putting them to sustainable use. The two station buildings and the goods shed were renovated for the 2019 Brandenburg horticultural show and have since housed the tourist information office and a medical care centre. Post-renovation, the old locksmith’s shop now houses a youth centre. SwissKrono Germany, which is based in the neighbouring community, was taken on as a tenant in the roughly quarter-circle-shaped engine depot. As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of wood-based materials, the company required a marketing and event centre. With the conversion of the listed engine shed building into a “Design Station”, a purpose was finally found that helped to kick-start the renovation.

Deconstruction, restoration and refurbishment

The engine shed is comprised of a single-storey atrium with five entrance gates, three further halls each with an entrance gate, and two side extension buildings. In all sections, the cubature and materiality of the building envelope have been preserved or, rather, restored to their 1930s form. The existing industrial glazing was retained as far as possible and any new additions were in keeping with the old model, coated in the original neutral grey colour. Partially bricked up windows were opened again and renovated using the thermally insulated Janisol Arte 2.0 stainless steel system to match the old structure. “The slimline window system was used to replace the sometimes still rudimentary existing industrial glazing,” explained project manager Axel Kaun of the Mittelbach architectural office in Stralsund. “Only slimline steel systems such as Janisol Arte make it possible to re-create the historical image.” The architects also opted for a steel system for the glazing of the entrance gates. Metallbau Hohendorf in Wolgast fabricated the thermal Janisol room dividers from Schüco Jansen Steel Systems. The large-scale steel glass units were façade-mounted on the inside so that they did not affect the reveal. The gates were partly refurbished, partly replaced and fixed in an open position. In conjunction with the improved and re-jointed façade masonry, the structural character of the impressive brick building remained unchanged.

Delicate restoration with a few essential interventions

One of the few functional interventions to the building’s structure is the relocation of the main entrance. The public entrance is now situated on the southern side of the façade, where a forward-mounted cube operates as a front porch, entrance marker and discreet advertising medium for its new purpose. From here, visitors and guests can access the large engine shed atrium (engine stands 2-6), which has been designed as a “cold” exhibition hall. Events and workshops are held in two air-conditioned glass cubes, which have been integrated into the spacious structure. In this way, the new interior construction should not conceal the fineness of the existing building. “In order to preserve the original sense of space, very slimline systems which offer maximum transparency were also to be used for the interior façades of the glazed cubes, partition walls and room closures,” said Axel Kaun. “Existing historical constructions like the riveted truss girder captivate with a slimline elegance that is only achievable with steel systems," stated the project manager.

Glazed cubes for events and workshops

In accordance with the system specifications of the architects, Bran&co Metallbau from Bad Freienwalde fabricated the two glass cubes by combining slimline load-bearing profiles from the VISS-Linea steel system and transoms from the VISS façade system. The one on the eastern side spans two levels with a floor area of approximately 65 square metres and the one on the western side is single-storey with an accessible roof terrace. “This combination in conjunction with the structural requirements was the big challenge for us,” explained Carola Langner, Managing Director of Bran&co. “All the transom profiles must be notched at the ends to correspond with the Linea mullion profile. Additionally, we manufactured our own mullion and transom connectors, which not only provided a strong welded joint in the workshop, but were also necessary for the plug-in installation on the construction site." The Linea mullions were reinforced with steel inserts for structural reasons. Combined with double-glazed laminated safety glass, a U value between 1.0 W/m²K (ground floor, East Cube) and 1.8 W/m²K (ground floor, West Cube) is achieved. All of the doors were fabricated as single or double-leaf constructions from the non-insulated Jansen-Economy 60 series.

Engine stands 0, 1 and 7 fully insulated

Engine stand 7 as well as engine stands 0 and 1 were designed to also accommodate public functions (event, canteen, workshop and open-plan office). To enable its unrestricted use, the inner side of the outer walls was bricked up with insulating bricks and then plastered. Engine stand 7 is divided by an interior façade that is open at the top and free-standing over a length of 8336 millimetres. Apart from the two end profiles, there is no other upper connection. The reinforced load-bearing profiles inside from VISS-Linea were also combined here with transoms from the VISS façade system. Engine stands 0 and 1 were provided with a suspended ceiling, which mirrors the suspended ceilings installed in the GDR era and increases the space available for offices and workshops. As this suspended ceiling has been distanced from the historical façades with their extensive gates and glazing, the generous feeling of space was also preserved here. The stairs were designed as light steel structures with railing infills and safety barriers made from expanded metal, which enable perceptible visual and spatial connections.

Exemplary commitment

The renovation and redevelopment of the engine shed into the marketing and event centre for the SwissKrono Group took around two years. The commitment was absolutely worth it – not only because the engine shed was labelled “Monument of the Month” in August 2023, but also because the beautifully restored brick building of the engine depot in Wittstock (Dosse) virtually forms the gateway to the redevelopment area of the old town in Wittstock. It remains to be seen whether the revitalisation of the station area will also be successful in attracting more interested parties to the old town of Wittstock/Dosse. It is clear that the renovation of the engine depot is of high design quality, both in terms of the restoration of the existing building structure and the new interior fittings with plenty of glass and slimline steel systems. All citizens are given the opportunity to use the engine depot for events.

Project details:

Client: Town of Wittstock/Dosse

Architect: Architekturbüro Mittelbach, Stralsund

Metal fabricator:

Façade (industrial glazing, windows und entrance gates): Metallbau Hohendorf GmbH, Wolgast

Interior construction (glass cubes, internal walls of engine stands 0, 1 and 7): Bran&co Metallbau GmbH, Bad Freienwalde

Steel profile systems used:

Windows: Janisol, Janisol Arte 2.0

Doors: Janisol, Janisol C4, Jansen-Economy 60

Façades and inner walls: VISS-Linea (load-bearing profiles) and VISS façade (transom)

Fire doors: Janisol 2

System supplier: Schüco Jansen Steel Systems, Bielefeld

System manufacturer: Jansen AG, CH-Oberriet