Materials and Finishes

When interviewed for DETAIL, the Slovenian firm Dekleva Gregoric emphasized that architecture is a discipline »characterized by materials«. Their oeuvre is diverse, and each building showcases a different material. The projects we present in this edition by other architects also accentuate materials: the skin of a home in Tokyo by Wiel Arets transforms the massing into a crystalline entity, and the interior surfaces have the charm of coarse concrete; recycled EUR pallets give a communal kitchen in Berlin a rugged touch; a rippling aluminium skin dematerializes a logistics centre near Zurich; and a colourful brick skin cloaking a villa in Munich not only shimmers, it also plays an important role in Sauerbruch Hutton’s articulation of the facade.