Boiler House and Engine House

Bremen, Germany

Courtyard side of the boiler house with newly attached staircase

Visualization © SMAQ | PONNIE images

View from apartment in the boiler house with view of river Weser

Visualization © SMAQ | PONNIE images

Engine house at promonade along the river Weser

Visualization © SMAQ | PONNIE images

Engine house, boiler house and Flakes Factory at river Weser

Visualization © SMAQ | PONNIE images

View from apartment in the boiler house on the river Weser

Visualization © SMAQ | PONNIE images

Elevation south-west

Drawing © SMAQ

Elevation north-west

Drawing © SMAQ

Steps of transformation

Drawing © SMAQ

Newly added elements

Drawing © SMAQ

Elevation south-east

Drawing © SMAQ

Section boiler house

Drawing © SMAQ

Elevation north-east

Drawing © SMAQ

Section engine house

Drawing © SMAQ

4. floor engine house | 3. floor boiler house

Drawing © SMAQ

Ground floor: commercial unit in engine house | power plant in boiler house

Drawing © SMAQ

2. floor engine house | 1. floor boiler house

Drawing © SMAQ

1. floor engine house | void above power plant

Drawing © SMAQ

3. floor engine house | 2. floor boiler house

Drawing © SMAQ

Roof terrace on top of the engine house | 4. floor boiler house

Drawing © SMAQ

Architects: SMAQ

Location: Bremen, Germany
Year: 2026
Client: Überseeinsel GmbH
Team: Andreas Quednau, Sabine Müller, Anton Leibham, Marie Jacobsen, Sebastian Pitoni, Valentin Lepley-Schuhmann, Loránd Mittay
Structural engineers: OP engineers
Building technology: Hansa Planung
Landscape architecture: Man Made Land

The transformation of the engine house and boiler house of the former Kellogg factory on the banks of the Weser in Bremen reinterprets the qualities of the existing structure. The existing buildings will be stripped back to their reinforced concrete skeleton and clad with a lightweight façade made of glass and folded sheet metal, so that parts of the reinforced concrete skeleton remain visible from the outside behind the glazing.

An atrium will be cut into the engine house, into which an internal staircase will be inserted, providing access to 13 flats on the upper floors. A new staircase with a lift and a glass block façade will be added to the courtyard side of the boiler house, providing access to twelve flats on the upper floors. Winter gardens attached to the boiler house on the Weser side serve as wind-protected outdoor spaces and offer an excellent view of the river. Additional balconies use the remaining supporting structure between the boiler house and the neighbouring factory building as a support.

A new energy plant on the ground floor of the boiler house will supply the emerging Überseeinsel urban quarter, which is based on a masterplan by SMAQ with Man Made Land and is currently being realised, with sustainable energy from wind, sun and the river. The power plant utilises the free-standing chimney of the former boiler house in front of the building. A commercial unit is being created on the ground floor of the engine house, which is accessible from the Weser promenade.