Grain to Grandeur: Silos Reimagined as Landmark Hotel

A bold architectural transformation on Bremen’s Überseeinsel peninsula has given new life to a cluster of 1970s Kellogg’s grain silos, now reimagined as the John & Will Silo Hotel by Vienna-based practice Delugan Meissl Associated Architects (DMAA).

Located within the larger redevelopment of Überseestadt — one of Europe’s most ambitious urban renewal precincts — the project showcases how adaptive reuse can elevate industrial heritage into civic and cultural prominence.

GALLERY

Once capable of holding up to 5,000 tonnes of grain, the concrete silos have been hollowed out and fitted with 117 unique guest rooms. Each room follows a circular or semi-circular plan, preserving the geometry of the original forms. Slender vertical windows have been carved into the 16-centimetre-thick walls to frame cinematic views of the River Weser while maintaining the monolithic character of the silos.

Rather than masking the site’s industrial legacy, DMAA has embraced it. The iconic red Kellogg’s logo remains perched atop the tallest silos, asserting a visual continuity with the past. Inside the hotel, the original funnel-shaped silo bases have been integrated into the design of the lobby, allowing the structure’s original function to remain legible.

New corridors and access points have been threaded through the concrete volumes, with over 3,500 cubic metres of material removed by hand to carve out habitable space. A low-rise annex, once used for storing vitamins, now houses five levels of office and conference facilities, crowned by a rooftop pavilion designed for events.

The redevelopment extends across the precinct. A neighbouring rice store has been converted into a market hall and restaurant hub, while new terraces and an in-house brewery invite locals and visitors to engage with the waterfront. Together, these elements stitch the historic industrial site into the evolving urban fabric of Bremen, highlighting how thoughtful design can reposition legacy infrastructure as dynamic, community-focused architecture.

Images by Piet Niemann via Designboom