Ausgabe 9.2023
Issue 10.2024
Archaic Envelopes
Some cities are known for their colourful architecture. Paris, for example, is distinguished by its light, sandy tones, with facades of limestone or sandstone. This architectural tradition was taken up by Haussmann in the grand boulevards, and Notre-Dame was also built with regional limestone. These elegant beige tones define many streets and entire districts of the city.
Challenging this convention is a bold new project featured in this issue dedicated to building envelopes. The five-storey townhouse by Déchelette Architecture in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris, blends seamlessly into the surrounding perimeter block development. However, its facade is composed of large blocks of rammed earth, with the earthy outer layer of the timber structure deliberately exposed. The effect is both archaic and innovative, yet quintessentially Parisian.
While many new residential buildings elsewhere are generic investor projects using cheap materials, the French capital continues to lead with experimental milestones in the use of natural building materials. Many of these innovative projects are social housing initiatives, such as the earthen building featured in this issue.
Our editor Julia Liese has selected this and other projects with standout facades, including brick and timber designs. In our Interiors section, we highlight two innovative office spaces realized within existing buildings. Enjoy the issue! Sandra Hofmeister
Increasing Density
Projects in this Issue
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Revitalisation in the old town
Cultural Centre in Ptuj on the Drava by Elementarna
A Cultural Centre in the historic town center of Ptuj: Elementarna combines concrete and metal with restored building fabric, creating flowing transitions between inside and outside.
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A house within a house
Herzzone Project by Studio Alexander Fehre
The pharmaceutical company Roche Diagnostics has a new, vibrant meeting place for its employees: The project, called Herzzone (German for Heartzone), was designed by Studio Alexander Fehre.
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Attractive working environment
Office Conversion in Berlin by Ester Bruzkus Architekten
The Berlin-based company Relaxound commissioned Ester Bruzkus Architekten to design a working environment that offers a variety of spatial scenarios and atmospheres.
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Experimental space
Kunstraum Kassel by Innauer Matt Architekten
Innauer Matt Architekten have created an exhibition pavilion open on all sides in the inner courtyard of Paul Friedrich Posenenske's listed art academy building. The pavilion is now part of the Documenta art collection in Kassel.
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A countryside transformation
Family Residence in Normandy by Java
In the rural region of Perche in southern Normandy, the Java studio have transformed a 1970s-era single-family dwelling into a modern home.
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Further Contributions on the Topic
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Chameleon effect
Station Mission in Hamburg by Carsten Roth
Protect and yet offer insights: Carsten Roth combines both in the station mission at Hamburg's main railway station. The eye-catching feature of the new building is its colour-changing metal facade.
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Communal mixed use
Bradbury Works in London by YN Studio
In London, architects YN Studio are refurbishing and extending the Bradbury Works commercial building on Gillett Square.
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More light, better insulation
Camberwell Cork House in London by Delve Architects
In South London, Delve Architects renovated a Victorian terraced house and added a 20 m² cork extension.
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Fifty Shades of Red
Civic Centre near Sydney by Manuelle Gautrand Architecture
The building shell rises skywards in a wave of reds as this new, multifunctional community centre in Parramatta assertively defines the centre of the city.
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Building with earth
Social Housing Construction on Ibiza
Innovative social housing in Catalonia makes the headlines again and again. Now the Barcelona-based architectural duo Peris + Toral have built 43 publicly assisted apartments out of the natural construction material of compressed earth.
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A landmark in the périphérie
Sports Hall by Bohuon Bertic Architectes near Nantes
With its curved facade of rhombic aluminum shingles, the gymnasium at the La Chesnaie recreational centre located in the suburbs of Nantes resembles a metallic sculpture.
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Previous Issues
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New Work 9.2024
New Work is a widely used term these days, but its meaning often remains unclear. In this concept edition of Detail, we let current projects illustrate these changes rather than providing rigid definitions.
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Building in the Mountains 7/8.2024
From the metropolis to the solitude of the mountains: In our summer issue, we explore two highly contrasting subjects. The Olympic Games in Paris and Building in the Mountains.
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Climate and Resources 6.2024
Sustainability encompasses various practices, all aimed at reducing carbon emissions. With this June issue, we spotlight six diverse projects that are taking steps towards a climate-neutral future in very different ways.
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New Housing in Old Stock 5.2024
The focus should be on developing housing within existing buildings and settlementstructures – through conversions, additions, extensions, and densification. Our new issue illustrates how this can be achieved.
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Balconies, Loggias, Terraces 4.2024
Out into the open! Our April issue delves into the construction and design of buildings with balconies, terraces, loggias, and arcades. We hope you enjoy exploring these features.
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Schools 3.2024
Is it possible to reduce costs and guarantee quality simultaneously in construction? As we embark on the new year, we confront a pressing issue that will accompany us for some time to come.
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Simple + Cost-Efficient 1/2.2024
Is it possible to reduce costs and guarantee quality simultaneously in construction? As we embark on the new year, we confront a pressing issue that will accompany us for some time to come.
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Increasing Density 12.2023
This December issue is dedicated to urban density and the architectural solutions needed to achieve it. While we understand the necessity of densification, few are eager to sacrifice their own space.
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Natural Building Materials 11.2023
In the last decade, timber construction has rapidly gained ground in the building industry. Our current issue documents multi-layered examples of the detailed application of natural building materials.
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Windows and Facades 10.2023
Facades have always had many roles to play. They give buildings a face, protect them from the elements, and convey meaning. The examples presented in this issue highlight the merits of thoughtful facades.
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Mixed Use 9.2023
We selected exciting projects for our September issue, focussing on mixed use concepts. They include residential and office spaces, sports halls and gastronomic functions and many more within their complex programs.
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Saving Space 7/8.2023
Space is a type of resource we bring to light in this summer edition of Detail. Our Documentation section features innovative structures that make clever use of limited space.
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Architecture and Climate Protection 6.2023
Anyone asking the inevitable question about climate protection in architecture today will receive not one but many answers.
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Truth to Materials 4.2023
Debates about building materials in architecture inevitably mention the term “truth to materials” (known in German as “Materialgerechtigkeit”).
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Hotels, Hostels, Guesthouses 3.2023
Few sectors of the economy were so battered during the corona years as the hotel industry.
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Taking Stock 1/2.2023
Not only in Germany and Europe but also worldwide, building in existing structures is currently gaining in acceptance and relevance.
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Building Envelopes 12.2022
While compiling our personal favourites of the year in the Detail editorial office, I was surprised at the vast scope of projects my colleagues had experienced in 2022. For this issue’s review of the year, they describe their architectural observations in places like Jerusalem, Berlin, and Montagnana, Italy.
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Circular Economy 11.2022
If the aim is net zero, demolition and landfill disposal must be avoided at all costs. Today, a progressive architecture is one that takes part in the circular economy and reuses building materials.
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Lighting Interiors 10.2022
Our October issue is all about light and interiors. PPAG’s school in Vienna brings daylight into deep cluster spaces to foster daily well-being.
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Cultural Buildings 9.2022
In 1997, the Guggenheim Museum opened in Bilbao, and Frank Gehry’s eccentric new building transformed the Basque city into an overnight hotspot for international tourism.
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Urban Green 7/8.2022
Especially in big dense cities, roofs and facades are the only places left to make things greener.
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Simple and Affordable 6.2022
“Doing away with everything superfluous creates the potential for an architectural quality all of its own,” says Florian Nagler about “simple building” in an interview with Frank Kaltenbach.
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Prefabrication Modular Construction 5.2022
Naturstein und Hochlochziegel, Ortbeton und Stampflehm in vorproduzierten Elementen: Für die Massivbauweise kommen viele unterschiedliche Materialien in Frage, und oft ist ihre Anwendung regional motiviert.
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Solid Construction 4.2022
Natural stone and perforated bricks, cast-in-place concrete, and rammed earth in prefabricated elements – these are just a few of the diverse materials used in solid construction, and their use is often regionally motivated.
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Urban Housing 3.2022
“A villa in the countryside with a large terrace, in front of you the Baltic Sea, Friedrichstrasse behind you …”. Thus begins Kurt Tucholsky’s 1927 poem, “The Ideal”. While Tucholsky’s ideal of urban life might be unattainable in Berlin, there are cities where it has become a reality.