As “Rostock’s most beautiful department store,” the historic early 20th-century villa is well known beyond the borders of the city. After remaining vacant for many years, plans were drawn up to return the building to its former glory and to offer an attractive shopping experience. ATP architects engineers breathed new life into the department store with the help of a sensitive conservation concept and a certain amount of flair.New life for the department store
After standing empty for six years, the listed building has regained its role as the “jewelry case” of central Rostock. ATP architects engineers developed a harmonious architectural concept for the client. The beauty company RITUALS was impressed by the historical charm of the building and rented the bottom two stories.

A concept with flair
The building was realized in 1910/11 in line with a design from the renowned architect Paul Korff and is an important example of an early reinforced concrete building. It was severely damaged by a flying bomb in 1942, which destroyed both the roof structure and the striking form of the building. Only the parapet with its powerful corners remained. A series of insensitive refurbishments carried out over the course of the following years paid minimal attention to the important historical role of the building.

The conservation concept focused on the retention of the historical building substance and the sensitivity of the refurbishment process. The principal loadbearing structure and the so-called “Korff facade” were retained. To this end, only certain sections of the facade were improved and superfluous loads were carefully removed from the building. The remodeling work also revealed the impressive structural framework. A well-thought-out repair concept guaranteed the success of the revitalization.

Shopping with historic charm
A two-story retail space was created for Rituals at ground and first floor levels in line with the corporate design requirements of the beauty specialists: Dark, earthy colors and natural materials such as timber, stone, and glass create a warm, feel-good atmosphere. This reduced palette optimizes the presentation of the products: With their powerful, fluorescent colors and the targeted lighting they become an eyecatcher for customers.