We are staying in a flat in the Budenberg Haus Projekte, an award-winning building designed by Foster + Partners and developed by a group which reclaims and renovates derelict buildings and sites. The complex looks like an ocean liner rising up alongside a canal at the site of the old Budenberg Gauge Factory.

There is a courtyard with wavy grass that I imagine was designed to look like rippling waves…

I love the look, but I feel really sorry for the poor person who has to mow.

The old factory (the one with the clock) between the two new wings has been incorporated into the new complex.

It’s weirdly designed so that when you enter, there is just a small landing that leads down a steep set of stairs to the rest of the flat.

The ceiling is curved, which adds to the feeling of being in a ship…