BRLO Brwhouse

The BRLO Brwhouse is a remarkable shipping container brewery, restaurant and beer garden set in Berlin, Germany. It’s located just next to the Gleisdreieck, a major station and junction on Berlin’s U-Bahn subway system, and set inside the Urbane Mitte master-planned city quarter.

While we often see single shipping containers converted into bars, the BRLO Brwhouse is something completely different. With almost 40 shipping containers in the facility, it’s a large, impressive building.

Sharp-eyed readers may recognize some designs themes from another Berlin container landmark, the Platoon Kunsthalle Berlin which was later repurposed as Hammerbrooklyn Box Hamburg. The same designer worked on both projects, so there are certainly some parallels in the building aesthetics. And in the same way, BRLO Brwhouse is only semi-permanent and could be moved and rebuilt later in another location if necessary.

With so many containers in the structure, they are obviously used quite liberally for a variety of functions. They house the actual microbrewing facilities, where beer is created on-site. But they also provide the walls and roof of the much larger spaces for customers to eat and drink.

The space is designed to not only promote beer culture and delicious cuisine, but also an exchange of ideas via events and forums that are held on the premises. We love how the starkness of the containers with their uniform color is broken up by the large window glazing elements to connect the outdoor park and beer garden with the indoor areas. And features like solid wood tables contrast well with the metal of the containers as well.

There are also some fun container placements meant to catch your eye and separate building functions. A vertical container is used as a staircase and office area entrance, while a diagonal container allows users to enter the upper-level gallery from the outdoors via an access ramp.