DETAIL English 4/2015

The character of a building can be decisively influenced by the materials used in its construction and the surfaces created. With textured-glass facade cladding and sliding elements, for example, Wiel Arets has transformed a house in Tokyo into a crystalline sculptural object, forming a sensuous contrast to the internal exposed-concrete surfaces. In Berlin, EUR-pallets filled with rammed earth were used for the spatially defining elements of a canteen. In Munich, Sauerbruch Hutton have experimented with colourful cubic ceramic cladding, and in the “technology” section, the theme of ceramic facades is explored further.