After three years of construction, the Jacoby Studios in Paderborn, Western Germany has been completed. It was converted from a historic building complex and extended by David Chipperfield Architects Berlin. The building serves Tap Holding as their new company headquarters.

The site was originally a seventeenth century Capuchin monastery which was converted into a hospital from 1841 onwards. The Jacoby Studios project removed much of the post-World War II additions, exposing the hidden historic character of the monastery. Quarry-stone masonry from the original building resurrected the lost aesthetic of the original building.

New extension wings have been arranged following the orthogonal structure to the north, west, and south of the original buildings.

"Rooted in an appreciation of its complex historical context, the Jacoby Studios create a new urbanistic whole out of fragments," said David Chipperfield in a statement. "The project combines a wide range of the practice’s experience – reinterpreting historic buildings, combining the old with the new, balancing landscape and building – to provide a comfortable and stimulating workplace. Thanks to a highly engaged and committed client, it has been a very enjoyable process and has become an emblematic project for us."

Ellen Jacoby, managing director of the Tap Holding said in a statement: "With a construction project you only have one chance to do it really well – and we really wanted to use it. David Chipperfield Architects Berlin were the ideal architects for Jacoby Studios. We found the collaboration very pleasant, constructive and inspiring, and it was a lot of fun developing the building together. The construction phase was a challenge for everyone involved. Still, the spirit of the project spurred everyone on to perform the demanding task with a high quality that is really noticeable in the result. It is a pleasure for us and our employees to experience the spaces every day. It sparks joy!"