Amt Mitte

The Hotel-Concept “Amt Mitte” reimagines the idea of a hotel as a playful contemporary institution. Inspired by the visual and procedural language of German bureaucracy, the concept transforms the familiar atmosphere of an Amt—a public office—into a welcoming hospitality experience. Guests do not simply check in; they “apply” for their stay and receive a digital residence permit, stamped directly into their personal travel record within the hotel app. Throughout their visit, guests collect graphic stamps that mark moments, places, and encounters, turning the stay into a narrative of officially approved experiences.

Visually, the identity translates the aesthetics of administration into a refined spatial language. Elements such as stamps, filing systems, forms, and registry numbers become design motifs across architecture, signage, and communication. Clean DIN-inspired typography, structured grids, and layered color fields echo the logic of official documents, while mid-century furnishings, tactile paper materials, and carefully curated retro objects create warmth and character. This tension between bureaucratic order and playful reinterpretation defines the atmosphere of Amt Mitte—precise yet humorous, structured yet inviting.

The concept also bridges digital efficiency with analog charm. The hotel-concept operates digital-first, with automated booking, app-based check-in, a digital guest archive, and location-based interactions that allow visitors to collect stamps across the building and the surrounding city. At the same time, the physical environment amplifies this system through oversized stamp installations, archival displays, printed forms, and signage that mirrors the tone of official paperwork. What might normally feel rigid becomes a stage for storytelling—transforming bureaucracy into an unexpectedly delightful ritual of arrival, exploration, and departure.

Client: Franken Generalplaner GmbH
In Collaboration with Nicole Franken & Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Bernhard Franken