Ecological reconstruction of listed mill

In 2002, a mill, known as the Burgmühle, in Brandenburg an der Havel in Germany, burned down almost completely. The historic mill and neighbouring grain storehouse were renovated in 2015 and listed as historic monuments. They now provide Brandenburg residents with modern living spaces right on the waterfront. The project aimed to restore what remained of the building in as natural and ecological a way as possible.

Converting the mill into residential and commercial units

The river Havel has always flowed between the mill and the granary. The river is a historic element of the Brandenburg Burgmühle and now enhances the quality of life for residents of the 64 apartments and two commercial units in the renovated building. A local property company, Jansen Immobilien GmbH, took over the building after it burned down almost completely in 2002, when the parts that hadn’t collapsed were in danger of doing so. “To convert the Burgmühle into residential and commercial units, we needed high-quality ceramic building materials suitable for renovating buildings listed as historic monuments. They also had to meet the requirements of a multi-storey residential building in terms of acoustic insulation, fire safety and heat insulation,” said investor Bernd Jansen.

Historic charm

Renovation was complex. Entire sections of the building had to be made safe before renovation and some parts had to gutted or completely reconstructed. For the brick façade, Jansen wanted a brick that was a close match for the originals in colour, shape and size. The smooth, extruded bricks in two different shades of red create the deliberately irregular colouration of the brick façade. The historic, wooden ceilings between the floors were replaced with brick ceilings. Their light weight, combined with superior acoustic insulation and adaptability for different layouts, were all significant advantages.

A solution was found that both respected the listed nature of the building and was suitable for the newly-built elements and the construction of balconies: red façade plaster and steel balconies to preserve the industrial character of the building.

“To convert the Burgmühle into residential and commercial units, we needed high-quality ceramic building materials suitable for renovating buildings listed as historic monuments." - Bernd Jansen, Jansen Immobilien GmbH.

Centuries of building tradition

The backing bricks, partitions, exterior walls, ceilings and brick façade for this renovation project were made by Wienerberger. This proved to be particularly advantageous for preventing thermal bridges: heat-insulated U-shaped blocks were fitted together very precisely with Porotherm bricks in the walls, creating a highly insulating, sustainable wall construction.

Renovating historic buildings also has a positive impact on urban developments. It creates contemporary accommodation in historic buildings with state-of-the-art thermal insulation and without having to build on additional land.