For more than a century, bottles were manufactured in the Stralau glassworks in Berlin-Friedrichshain. Production came to an end in the mid-1990s, and most of the buildings fell victim to the demolition ball. One structure dating from 1921 managed to survive, however, and stood empty for decades.

The consortium of building owners specially formed to manage this industrial ruin recognized the quality of the development and – together with the architects Eyrich-Hertweck – awakened the abandoned areas to new life.