From the editors
CHALLENGING STEPS Words and Images Inez Margaux Spaargaren
Dear Bnieuws reader, It can sometimes be tough to take challenging steps. The theme of this Bnieuws follows from the unknown. What is it like abroad? I have asked myself this question lately, so I decided to take action…
This March, I moved to Berlin. The city intrigued me for a longer time already, and an opportunity came up to live there for a month. I grabbed this opportunity and looked into whether living in Berlin would be an option for me. In addition, I was always curious about how architects' offices were in Berlin. So I e-mailed several firms, visited the most enthusiastic ones, and interviewed exciting people. In this issue, I will be introducing KINZO. This firm made a very open and unique impression on me.
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KINZO is an interior architecture office located in the middle of Berlin at Checkpoint Charlie. As the story is told, KINZO is established by three architects (Karim El-Ishmawi, Martin Jacobs, Chris Middleton). At first, KINZO was a dance club located in Berlin, built with their own hands. This club helped them build the foundation of the architectural office. They are currently working with international companies to get the best interior designs with their holistic design approach, which you can see straight away when you enter the office. The middle of the office area is a very bright and cosy shared room, divided into three areas: kitchen, lunch space, and material library. I've been told they have lunch, meetings and breaks here. And once every week on Tuesday, they have a meeting with everyone in the office to get to know the ongoing projects and achievements. This conversation is with three young interior architects working and living in Berlin: Maren, Sophie and Samira. How long have you been working at KINZO? Maren: I started my master's 3 years ago. After graduating, I decided to work at the university, did some own projects, and started working at Kinzo half a year ago.
