Ausgabe 9.2023
Issue 5.2024
New Housing in Old Stock
We live in paradoxical times. Across Europe, the construction industry is at a virtual standstill, especially in residential construction. Construction network Euroconstruct forecasts a 20 % decrease in housing completions between 2022 and 2026, with Germany facing a decline of up to 40 %. Yet, the demand for more living space remains unyielding. However, attempting to meet this demand exclusively through new construction would far exceed Europe’s remaining CO2 budget. Moreover, the urgent task of sustainably retrofitting existing buildings cannot be ignored. This pause in the construction boom presents an opportunity to rethink our approach. Going forward, the focus should be on developing housing within existing buildings and settlementstructures – through conversions, additions, extensions, and densification. The articles in our current issue illustrate how this can be achieved, highlighting the immense untapped potential. Enjoy the issue! Jakob Schoof
Increasing Density
Projects in This Issue
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Inside a stone shell
Wooden House Behind Old Workshop Walls in Flanders
Safe and sound within the exterior walls of an old carpentry workshop, Raamwerk have set a simple wooden house on the existing foundations. Remnants and mementos of the property’s former function appear at every turn.
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Saved from demolition
Conversion of Felix Platter Hospital in Basel
The Müller Sigrist/Rapp consortium transformed the former hospital into a residential complex featuring 134 units, saving the striking 1960s high-rise block from demolition.
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Cost-effective housing construction
Repurposing of a Former Wine Storage as an Apartment Building
In Basel, Esch Sintzel Architekten have transformed an old industrial building into a multistorey apartment block. The pre-existing structure has been cleverly repurposed and set in the spotlight.
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Front gardens instead of open-plan offices
De Voortuinen Residential High-Rise in Amsterdam by Elephant
The past use of this 14-storey residential high-rise with large, planted balconies is barely discernible: for 45 years, it served two banks as an office building.
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Upward extension for a 1980s house
AB House near Alkmaar by Space Encounters
Space Encounters has provided an upward extension to a 1980s house that stands in the polder landscape north of Amsterdam, and gave the building an oversized and yet seemingly familiar pitched roof.
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Further Articles on The Topic
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Living in existing context
La Clara – a Former Laundry in Barcelona
In Les Corts, a district in southwest Barcelona, the local architecture office CRÜ have repurposed a 1930s-era laundry as a residence with its own studio.
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Expansion and renovation
House in Ghent by Graux & Baeyens Architecten
In Ghent, Graux & Baeyens Architecten have renovated a house and expanded it with an addition. The expansion offers space for urban family living and ensures a logical flow of movement inside.
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Sustainable conversion
Multifunctional Residential Building in Brussels by Hé!
Future living – what could it look like? With its conversion of an old industrial building in Brussels, Hé! shows how sustainability, flexibility, and maximum living comfort can be combined.
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Rural living in the city
Derzbachhof in Munich
After decades of vacancy, the listed 18th-century farmhouse was renovated, and a new building with 17 flats was added.
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Promising transformation
Renovation of a Single-Family Home in Brittany by Parages
On the coast of Brittany, the young architecture practice Parages radically transformed a residential property from the 1970s. Behind the new wooden exterior shell, bright, open-plan living spaces now open towards the sea.
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Living and working
Renovation of an Old Locksmith's Shop in Berlin
In Berlin-Neukölln, Alarcon Linde Architects have converted an old locksmith's shop into workshops and apartments for artists and creatives.
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Previous Issues
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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.