Bunker, Sweet Bunker: repurposing old German WWII bunkers into bright, airy apartments

flavorwire.com ^ | 3:55 pm Tuesday Sep 1, 2009 | Caroline Stanley

[Nikas777]

Bunker, Sweet Bunker

3:55 pm Tuesday Sep 1, 2009

by Caroline Stanley

German-based architect Rainer Mielke has been repurposing old World War II bunkers into bright, airy apartments for the past ten years. In the future he plans to design a food bunker, office bunker, and music bunker — for bands having trouble finding practice space — as well. More images, including some cheery interior shots, after the jump. [via The Local]

[Nikas777]

Today WW2 started. Swords into plowshares kind of thing going with this.

[Nikas777]

I probably screwed up the HTML code for posting pics. My bad. Those flats look pretty zombie apocalypse proof to me.

[Nikas777]

WW2 history ping.

Reminds me of stories of people in the middle ages moving into the footprint of abandoned fortresses to live.

[Nikas777]

Link to original article

http://www.thelocal.de/society/20090831-21597.html

Old bunkers get new life as flats in Bremen

[allmost]

I probably screwed up the HTML code for posting pics. My bad.

I've had some doozies :)
The bunkers need more land IMO.

[Callahan]

Just as long as we don’t end up with brochures for Auschwitz Gardens Condominiums for Active Adults..

[Nikas777]

My apologies for the pic post screw up. Clicking the link gets you to the page with the pics.

[Nikas777]

OK, you owe me a new keyboard and flat screen - I just did a spit take from hell thanks to your post.

[allmost]

Looks fine to me. If you really screwed one up... you’d know ;)

[fso301]

[Nikas777]

That was a flak tower I think?

[fso301]

That was a flak tower I think?

Aka high rise bunker.

Here's a waterfront bunker.

[Little Ray]

I have seen some pretty neat homes on Tybee Island, Georgia, made of Endicott-era gun emplacements. And there is a really great home on Sullivan’s Island, SC, made out a WWII era 16” gun emplacement, and another built on top of post-civil war ammo magazine.

[Allegra]

OK, just for the record, I never, ever, ever want to live in a bunker.

I just don't have warm, fuzzy memory associations with those things. ;-)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Nikas777. Seems like a good idea, but even the altered version doesn’t look too attractive. :’)

Here’s an old topic about another architectural legacy:

Ruins from giant Nazi beach resort sold in Germany
AFP/Yahoo | Thu Sep 23, 1:11 PM ET
Posted on 09/23/2004 2:44:00 PM PDT by martin_fierro
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1225124/posts

[Mister Da]

Interesting. Thanks for the post.

I’m curious as to the motivation to remodel/renovate these bunkers vs. demolishing them & build a more appropriate building.

I suppose the thick concrete walls insulate well, but they also waste space. Plumbing, A/C, & electrical installation & modifications would seem to be a problem.

[Nikas777]

I’m curious as to the motivation to remodel/renovate these bunkers vs. demolishing them & build a more appropriate building.

Albania's nut jub Hoxha regime was so paranoid he built bunkers and concrete pill boxes everywhere to the point where it is not cost effective to demolish. Albanian beaches are littered with one or two man pillboxes. I think I read where those are used for beach front changing rooms in some cases.