The Brickworks in Glindow

The listed brickworks in Glindow, with its two surviving Hoffmann ring kilns dating from 1868, ceased operations on the 31st of July 2024. This master’s thesis outlines a possible approach to dealing with the existing structure.

It is based on a historical analysis of the brickworks – which has been in existence since 1705 – reconstructed using archival records, a timeline of the site’s construction phases, and research into historical brick production, material properties and specific characteristics arising from clay extraction in the „Glindow Alps“.

Furthermore, the development and functioning of a Hoffmann ring kiln, along with the resulting operational processes and spatial sequences, are explained. A building specification and a drawn survey, focusing on the two ring kilns and the so-called sorting hall at the centre of the site, document the current condition of the brickworks at various levels of detail.

For the planning of the repair and restoration measures, the façades of the sorting hall were photogrammetrically surveyed using the Structure-from-Motion method, and a damage map was produced. In addition, the framework conditions relating to heritage conservation and building regulations are analysed, and the resulting challenges for a structural transformation are highlighted.

The proposed concept builds on the building’s history of use and envisages a historically rooted space for craftsmanship, research and art. The necessary structural measures make use of locally available, traditional and ecological building materials: clay and reed. Finally, a discussion of architectural values reflects on the different approaches to repurposing listed buildings, with a focus on industrial buildings, which are often extremely specialised in their function.

Diverse interim uses, as an adaptive concept, can be a suitable tool for responsible conservation. In this context, building within the existing built environment is understood more as an attitude than as a set of technical measures: a continuous, process-oriented approach to building and the layering of uses with minimal intervention, whilst accepting and incorporating the historic fabric.