Circadian Tea Atelier Opens Inside Berlin's Brutalist Funkhaus with Gyokuro Ceremony
Circadian, a tea atelier based in Berlin, has launched its new headquarters, spanning 230 sq m, within Funkhaus, a former GDR radio broadcasting facility designed by Franz Ehrlich. The founder, Mahmoud Abdelhafez, has crafted this space to facilitate an 18-hour cold extraction method, with gyokuro tea as the focal point. The atelier boasts a poured-concrete table illuminated by LED strips, five chairs inspired by Pierre Jeanneret, and Zieher long-stemmed wine glasses to elevate the tea's aroma. Original Soviet-era flooring and 1950s tiles were retained during renovations, while partition walls delineate a compliant production area equipped with custom Brewtools tanks. Antimicrobial copper finishes adorn the kitchen and bathroom, and abstract pieces by Tanja Schaub are showcased. Circadian specializes in cold-brew gyokuro and is situated at Nalepastrasse 18, 12459 Berlin, Germany.
Key facts
- Circadian's atelier occupies 230 sq m inside Berlin's Funkhaus, the GDR-era radio broadcasting centre designed by Bauhaus-trained architect Franz Ehrlich
- Founder Mahmoud Abdelhafez uses an 18-hour cold extraction process for pure, unsweetened, non-carbonated teas
- Gyokuro is grown in darkness under up to four layers of textile, unlike sun-grown sencha green tea
- A poured-concrete table by a Swiss maker features embedded LED strips separating guest and serving sides, with five Pierre Jeanneret-inspired oak and rattan chairs
- Teas are served in long-stemmed wine glasses by German glassware brand Zieher
- Conservators required preservation of original eggshell-blue painted concrete pillars and beams and 1950s floor tiles
- Bespoke pressurised brewing tanks were adapted from cider-making processes by Norwegian company Brewtools
- Circadian is located at Nalepastrasse 18, 12459 Berlin, Germany, and produces cold-brew gyokuro varieties including Ocean Umami and Cocoa Finish
Entities
Artists
- Mahmoud Abdelhafez
- Franz Ehrlich
- Pierre Jeanneret
- Tanja Schaub
- Milly Burroughs
Institutions
- Circadian
- Funkhaus
- Zieher
- Brewtools
- Wallpaper*
- 10 Magazine Deutsch
- AnOther
- Dazed
- It's Nice That
- Apple News +
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- East Berlin
- Japan
- China
- Osaka
- Switzerland
- Norway
- Nalepastrasse 18, 12459 Berlin