Clay, straw, hemp and other natural building materials: projects and technical articles on sourcing, processing and building physics.
The new UCCA Clay Museum advances the millennia-old tradition of artisanal ceramics the Chinese metropolis Yixing is renowned for. An armour of red clay tile encloses the exhibition spaces and the open timber roof constructions above them – an expressive space for the presentation of modern ceramic art.
An interview with Dorte Mandruo about the freedom of freehand sketching, architectural role models, and why sailing and building speak the same language.
Many Australian farmers consider bamboo a waste product. However, Cave Urban, based in Sydney, uses it to create impressive art and architectural installations. In this interview, they explain how they came up with the idea and what they have learnt about building with bamboo.
In his conversation with Detail, Director Jonathan Tuckey explains why he chose rammed earth for the residential house in Wiltshire and which challenges needed to be overcome.
Advertorial How can environmentally friendly living be combined with high living standards? The new Solarlux concept house in Salzkammergut, Upper Austria, provides answers to this question. The building, which is constructed almost entirely from timber, is designed as an atmospheric place where modern and sustainable architecture can be experienced with all the senses. Architect and expert in solar construction Dr. Peter Kuczia achieved this not only by carefully integrating the house in the unique mountain landscape, but with large, movable glass fronts that create seamless transitions between the indoors and outdoors, a loggia that functions as a climate buffer zone and building technology that relies fully on regenerative energy sources, among other things. The low-tech ventilation concept was developed together with Thomas Auer, professor of building technology and climate-friendly construction at the Technical University of Munich.
It became the winner in the Structural Design Category of the 2025 Detail Construction Award. Its system offers the students the opportunity to remodel their shared apartments by themselves.
Advertorial By the end of 2023, a new high‑quality residential and living environment had been created in Hamburg’s HafenCity, occupying an exceptional location directly on the River Elbe. Designed by internationally renowned architect Jens Bothe, the light‑filled residential buildings set distinct maritime accents with their open atmosphere, generous daylight, fresh air and unobstructed views. For the balconies – which lend the project The Wave its name due to their distinctive form – high‑quality Twinson Character Massive decking boards in walnut brown from Deceuninck were selected.
Advertorial Opened in October 2025, the Moabiter Kinderhof in Berlin is designed as an open space for the daily lives of children and young people in an urban environment. Kersten Kopp Architekten responded to the unique location between the park and the neighborhood with a complex of buildings consisting of several cubes reminiscent of building blocks, which blend harmoniously among the surrounding trees. The new building was constructed using timber; its structural framework consists of prefabricated modules that were manufactured in the factory and assembled on-site. The architecture is understood as a framework for openness, participation, and orientation. This guiding principle is consistently reflected in the choice of materials: Inside, the rubber flooring norament 926 with the iconic round pastille provides the ideal foundation for children constantly moving in and out between the playground and the building.
Bachelor's theses are usually just theoretical. Not so for Olin Petzold and Marlene Braun. Together with students from Falkensee High School, they built a pavilion out of wood and rammed earth.
Buero Kofink Schels undertook an experiment with this small single-family home in Hinterschmiding, Bavaria: Could a building be constructed without using concrete, sheeting, drywall or adhesives? The result won the special prize for constructive experimentation at the Detail Construction Award.
Spacious rooms, plenty of natural light, and a structural framework of wood and natural stone: the Simone Veil school complex in Tremblay-en-France combines many of the benefits of child-friendly and eco-friendly construction. The rooftop sports hall is also available for use by local clubs - though it remains unheated year-round.
Timber buildings are truly sustainable only if they are designed to be reversible and use rapidly renewable, biogenic insulation materials. A research team has tested how this works in practice.