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TOMAS
Architecture & Project Development
Berlin
«We want to make it easier to invest in real estate by using crowd-investing.»
«We want to make it easier to invest in real estate by using crowd-investing.»
«We want to make it easier to invest in real estate by using crowd-investing.»
«We want to make it easier to invest in real estate by using crowd-investing.»
«We want to make it easier to invest in real estate by using crowd-investing.»
Please, introduce yourself and your studio…
TOMAS was founded by us – Sofia Ceylan, Katharina Neubauer and Annabelle von Reutern – in 2024. We all met in 2007 while studying in Aachen, where we were in the same studio. Right after our Masters we considered founding a business together. Instead we decided to gather some experience working for various offices. In late 2023 we were all in an in-between-job situation and realized that we had somehow forgotten about our original idea.
The question was, what do we actually want to do? Generally speaking, architecture offices are service providers for investors. This was a strong motivation for us to determine which role we want to take on in that process and how our work can be defined. It took only a minute to agree on the idea of becoming socially responsible project developers. We wanted to transform the idea of who invests in real estate and how it is done.
Sofia Ceylan, Katharina Neubauer and Annabelle von Reutern – © Magadalena Gruber
What problem do you want to solve with your company?
If 80 percent of the world’s land is owned by men, then they also decide what happens to it¹. The construction industry is responsible for 40 percent of energy consumption worldwide, 50 percent of waste generation and 60 percent of resource consumption².
We want to address this unacceptable situation by taking on responsibility. We call this the new TOMAS cycle: invest, transform and activate. We identify underrated, empty buildings and draw up new concepts for their use that were perhaps previously considered unusual. In other words, we operate as project developers but also work to preserve or maintain real estate. Additionally, because we like sharing our expertise, we also offer the transformation process for underrated buildings and circular construction as a service for others.
We want to make it easier to invest in real estate by using crowd-investing as the method of choice. In the long term, we would like to set up a female-focused fund in which we place properties that have been (mainly) financed by women and accommodate uses that are “female-focused”.
What are your experiences founding your own office and being self-employed? Why did you decide working as a group together?
We wanted more independence and now we are figuring out how we can finance ourselves and create a viable business. It's a rollercoaster ride of emotions. There are so many different things happening every day, the weeks are full and the learning curve is steep. The best thing really is the opportunity to build a company that fits us and our values. It is incredibly uplifting to see how something is created and grows out of nothing through our actions.
One of the best experiences was certainly the recognition we received for our competition entry in Celle. It was about the transformation of an empty Karstadt department store, which we conceptualized into a data center. We are also overwhelmed by the positive and supportive response to our idea of socially responsible project development. There is already a community of people who want to be part of this journey. That makes us very happy.
How do you remember your time as an architectural employee/worker? What changed when you transitioned from employee to employer?
Some of us had worked within fairly rigid structures, something which in Katharina’s case was interrupted by her taking parental leave. She had a six-month-old child and was sure she didn’t want to return to those male-dominated office structures again. Our motivation was to increase our self-efficacy. As an employee, you have your fixed area in which you are allowed to move and create. If you move outside this area, it is often not rewarded or others receive praise for your work instead. Additionally, it is easier to work according to your values independently and to prioritize sustainability.
Please describe the working culture and working conditions in your office?
We very quickly worked out in workshops and coaching sessions how we wanted to work together and what our core values were that we were committed to. We also contractually regulated our collaboration. Even though we are friends first and foremost, it's a different thing to set up an office together. We divided up roles according to skills and inclinations. In addition to the content-related work, we also spent a lot of time on the internal organizational structure in this first year. We currently have the support of a student employee. We definitely want to increase the team size.
What does your desk/working space/office look like at the moment?
We have had a small office at Mollstraße 1 in Berlin, in the former ADN (Allgemeiner Deutscher Nachrichtendienst) building. The high-rise building stood empty for a few weeks and is now being used temporarily by the Projekt Interim. That suited TOMAS very well. However, as Katharina lives in Switzerland, we have also created a digital space where we can exchange ideas. Annabelle wrote an article about our office area for G+L magazine and Sofia contributed a column about the interim use of the building for the online magazine bricks dont lie.
TOMAS – working space
What needs to change in the field of architecture according to you?
Our current system is a system based on patriarchal exploitation. We need to change the system - way from the linear economy and towards a regenerative economy. We proclaim the future in our brand. We want nothing less than the transformation of material and space. Transformation is more than change. It is the radical questioning of the ruling system. Our vision is to smash patriarchy and achieve the “Bauwende” – the fundamental transformation of the construction industry. We believe that care work is the key to a feminist society in which we are more interested in and committed to each other. We want to see a plural and diverse society, with a wide range of different people in positions of power. Therefore, we try to make a difference with our decisions and projects.
What essential actions do we need to take as architects now regarding a more sustainable future for everyone?
Architects have 196 times more power to reduce CO2 emissions by working on large projects than by changing their lifestyle, says Scott McAulay, a member of Architype's climate protection team and climate activist. As planners, take responsibility yourself and dare to step out of your comfort zone and develop new (business) models in which you participate to a greater extent. Change does not happen on its own. The ”Bauwende” can only become a reality if planners take a critical look at their own conception of themselves and their vocation in life. Who do I want to be? What is preventing me from embracing the new era? What am I afraid of?
We aim to achieve our transformation projects without placing an excessive burden on the planet. That means, for example, preserving what already exists, a clever use of as few resources as possible and engaging in circular construction. Social tensions are directly linked to the nature of buildings. For us social responsibility means more than ensuring rents are affordable, it’s about generating genuine participation from the investors, who can get involved with small financial contributions via the planners through to the users who would not stand a chance in other properties.
Whoever is reading this, please get politically involved if you are not satisfied with laws and standards. This can be in the Architektenkammer or in an association like Architects for Future. There are many possibilities. “Yes, but the policy has to change first...” is a cheap excuse.
What person/collective or project do we need to look into right now?
Studio Tegel, Baufachfrauen e.V., Karin Hartmann, Elise Pieschetsrieder (weberbrunner Architekten), Urselmann Interior, ADNBA
¹ https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/commission-on-the-status-of-women-2012/facts-and-figures
² Werner Sobek: Non nobis – über das Bauen in der Zukunft, Bd.1: Ausgehen muss man von dem, was ist, Stuttgart 2022, S.16f
Project 1
Speicher | Waren | Haus
Transformation, Open Competition
The concept combines the market hall with the server hall. Based on the contradiction of inner-city demolition and simultaneous
new construction on a greenfield site, the conversion of the former Karstadt department store into a data center uses existing resources and meets the increasing demand for computing power and data processing. The inner-city location offers perfect waste heat utilization, reduces environmental pollution, lowers costs and strengthens the local economy. Built potential such as the payloads of the ceilings and ceiling heights are fully exploited with an ideal subsequent use.
Images
Drawings
Project 2
Moabit bio-based
Conversion of an artist's studio with art depot and micro-apartments into a handicapped-accessible family apartment with friend and grand piano.
The Gründerzeit apartment in Berlin, Moabit was divided into several units over the last few decades and modernized in a “patchwork” fashion. The aim is to carefully restore the entire apartment and fit it out with 100% ecological natural building materials and space for a large patchwork family. The salon takes into account special acoustic requirements for piano house concerts.
Images
Website: materialandspace.de
Instagram: @tomas.materialandspace
Photo Credits: © Portrait: Magdalena Gruber
Interview: kntxtr, kb, 06/2025