Berlin-based design studio New Tendency has updated a GDR era broadcast building to create a temporary workspace for participants enrolled in Red Bull's music academy scheme.
New Tendency updated Berlin's Funkhaus, a former broadcasting centre for the German Democratic Republic (GDR) built in the 1950s by Bauhaus alumnus Franz Ehrlic, to host the annual Red Bull Music Academy.

Prior to New Tendency's intervention, the space underwent three months of renovation. The studio was tasked with creating spaces for the participants to work and relax, including a lobby, lecture theatre and recording studios.
"The idea was to get the building back to its original state and not interfere too much, as a form of respect for the architecture," New Tendency told Dezeen. "With the furniture, we added a second layer to make it more contemporary and connect it to the ideas of the Red Bull Music Academy."

The lobby features a series of curved sofas, which help to break up the expansive space and create small islands of life. The designers wanted to create a feeling of intimacy, in order to encourage collaboration and friendship between the musicians.
"The whole building is designed around a circle, so the rounded couches are a homage to that," said the studio. "The idea was also to create rooms-in-rooms or islands, where people can sit together and form groups, rather than getting lost."

The sofas are made from steel and Kvadrat fabric in a bold ora...