(February 2012) „In Cava“ (In the Quarry) is the unusual name given to this building – with a history: when stone producer Giovanni Polti inspected his Calanca-gneiss-extraction with architect José Stefanini of JS Studio the tour passed by the quarry refuse. The architect exclaimed „These are exactly the pieces I’ve been looking for“.

The aim of the perambulation through the quarry was to find the design for a new building of the stone company in Roveredo in the Italian part of Swizerland. The architecture should tell visitors much about the material just in passing: that it is mined in big chunk broken out of the bedrock, that much energy is needed to work a piece of the stone, what can be done with it…

So the facade along the main road contains three big chunks of raw stone in the upper two stories. Width and breadth were conceived to reflect the dimension of the raw blocks.

Alfredo Polti Company has three storage rooms on the ground floor. On the first floor three offices are open to business and above them thee apartments were built. The blocks jutting out of the facade make the ground surface of the offices and apartments 1.2 m² larger. Two windows are integrated in the „block“ in the middle.

This type of facade cladding posed a number of challenges. The stone chunks, after all, weigh 40 t (the biggest slab measures 200 cm x 76.7 cm and are 18 cm thick – that’s about 450 kg). The architect developed special anchors whereby the steel for the bracing itself already weighs 4.5 t.

But because thick blocks of stone often give the impression of huge monolithic monsters, the slabs were arranged to support the impression of movement and chaos. A special challenge was posed by rainwater runoff in case of strong rainfall.

So much for the presentation of gneiss in form of raw blocks in this open-air showroom.

All around the building examples of the worked stone can be seen e.g. sawed in the window frames. One side of the building has a 3.2 m high sample surface with 12 types of surface treatment.

And finally, all around the building stone plates and chips can be seen.

In the interior honed gneiss was used for the floor.

Alfredo Polti

JS Studio

Photos: Photo-atelier Franco Mattei / Alfredo Polti

(January 2012) Melle in the French Département Deux-Sèvres can boast a possibly unique altar-room. Architect Mathieu Lehanneur raised the altar and pulpit by placing them on a free-standing marble plateau into which the baptismal font is indented.

His aim was to achieve a mystical air: the slab should convey the impression of having preceded the church building as if it had been there all along, from the beginning of time like faith itself. On the other hand the plateau is meant to „reflect the extreme care paid to the telluric energy of stones and territories in the building of Romanesque churches“ according to a press release.

The surface of the podium measures 32 m². The marble slab is 15 mm thick and approx. 50 cm wide where it meets a concrete core to which it is fused.

It was important to avoid contact of the podium with pillars or the church walls thus facilitating Unesco’s approval of the interior design: the church is, after all, one of Unesco’s sites of World Cultural Heritage; the choir, in which the podium was set up, was first constructed in 1090 a.D.

The baptismal font is most unusual for a Christian church – the pool is sunk below floor level.

The marble implemented was of Namibian origin and was sawed in Carrara. Finishing was carried out by the French Brocatelle Company of Lyon. Two more stone types make their mark in the house of God: coloured alabaster for the altar and pulpit, and limestone for the historic walls.

Many a discussion ensued ranging from criticism to pragmatic considerations such as concern that the priest or acolyte could stumble and fall into the font, or that the preacher could take on the appearance of Obi-Wan Kenobi straight out of the Star Wars movie on the floating pulpit.

Mathieu Lehanneur

Brocatelle

Photos: Felipe Ribon

Mausolea are generally small buildings recounting the wealth and importance of the family and clan whose final resting place they are meant be and distinguishing it from surrounding tombs. But Portuguese architect Pedro Dias decided to break with tradition when designing the family tomb in Serra do Açor as an open cube inviting mourners, friends and family to step inside during the ceremony and thereafter. The architect verbalises his concept as a „Sepulchral Void“ meaning that the open construction is meant to bring the absence of the deceased to the foreground and make it tangible.

A bench in the middle of the cube plays a central role: during the funeral ceremony it serves as a pedestal for the coffin, later as a place to rest and reflect on the deceased. The passage from life to afterlife is symbolised by the open view over the landscape on the one hand and by the contrasting material used for the inside and outside of the cube on the other. The exterior is made of black granite stripes whereas the interior is clad in broad stainless steel plates.

The tomb is prefabricated in the factory and placed on site by crane. The walls are filled with concrete after they are positioned. The tomb provides place for 8 family members.

Pedro Dias

Photos: Pedro Dias

Grey sandstone from the Italian Apennin mountain range is the dominant material used in Israel’s Domus Galilaeae. The stone was provided by Ill Casone Company and was used for interior flooring and wall cladding. By using just a few sizes of stone slabs the installation emanates an aura of peacefulness where visitors are able to concentrate on the essentials, according to a description.

Contemplation is the core of the Catholic Domus Galilaeae in the Holy Land. It is meant to allow aspiring priests to experience the magic of faith before they are ordained. The complex was constructed above the Sea of Galilee where Jesus performed the miraculous multiplication of bread and fish for his followers, precisely on the peak of Mount of Beatitutes, where Jesus is said to have delivered the Sermon on the Mount. The figures around the circular chapel show Christ with his Apostles.

Il Casone

Domus Galilaeae

Photos: Carlo Marin / Il Casone

(January 2012)

All in all, the vertical picture presents a cacophony of straight and diagonal lines busied by glass and stone surfaces adding extra movement.

The idea was derived from a building by Danish architects Schmidt Hammer Lassen in Prague itself, more specifically on Hradschin fortification hill. The Palais Schwarzenberg façade was constructed around 1550. in so called sgraffito style made up of alternating layers of black and white grout revealing a pattern when gouged.

The builders of the palais were attempting to achieve a three-dimensional optical illusion of natural stone. In the case of Amazon Court, on the other hand, the stone is real Star White granite, albeit serving decorative purposes only.

The building is part of Prague’s new River City complex and stands in close proximity upstream of the famous Karl’s Bridge on the banks of the Vltava. The complex is comprised mostly of office buildings interspersed with shops, restaurants, hotels, and dwellings to maintain a lively atmosphere outside office hours as well.

The Amazon Court Atrium deserves special attention. It is open to the public around the clock and provides an optical sequence to the façade pattern. The glass surfaces of the 7 story element are decorated in trapezoids albeit in textile form and in bold colours. Danish artist Anne Marie Plough wanted to lend flair of tropical rain forest.

The flooring is paved in marble tiles in one section. In another, small cobblestones, as are often seen in the lanes of the historic city centre, cover the walking surface.

The architects placed great importance in sustainability of the building. Special glass was used allowing maximum sunlight penetration but little heat accumulation. With a series of other implementations aimed at energy conservation Amazon Court is meant to use 50% less energy than standard office complexes and save 65% of costs. The complex was commissioned by Europolis.

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

River City Prague

Europolis 

Photos/Drafts: Adam Mørk / Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

(January 2012)

The place was formerly a dead-end triangle at the end of two streets covered in asphalt and serving as a parking lot for taxis. Architects banned cars to the outer curb and paved the place in cobblestones and greenery giving it new lease on life. Lines in light stone lead to a nearby park unhidden by the removal of surrounding hedges.

Dark basalt and light granite were used. The contrast of the two is particularly apparent in rainy weather. Stone was provided by Jogra, paving by Steen & Lund.

The place was named after the Norwegian linguist Knud Knudsen who played an significant role in the development of the Riksmål and Bokmål form of the written Norwegian language.

Grindaker Landskapsarkitekter

Jogra

Steen & Lund

About 150 m from the banks of Thames in London’s Westminster district the river could literally observe its own path through the city. For this is where a model of its watercourse with all its meanders and estuaries is mapped in black granite. The installation by the name of Grosvenor Waterside is situated next to the Grosvenor Canal, long neglected and eventually run down. Today the roughly triangular area is lined in high-class apartments and condominium complexes.

Grosvenor Waterside was designed by the German-born artist and stone mason Ekkehard Altenburger. Water was the central theme for the project. Altenburger created the watercourse model and installed a „Mirrorpool“ at its end, in which the surrounding buildings are reflected. As a special effect, the water is held in constant motion repeating the river’s particularities.

A 40,000 l subterranean rainwater tank filled with the runoff from surrounding rooftops is the source of the installation. The tank is situated below a two-story underground garage, the roof: Altenburger’s impressive „Mirrorpool“.

Water cascades down a series of steps, with a mild, straight slope along the edge of the pool and circular cut-out at the centre of the pool serving as a run-off. The water film is a mere 12 mm deep constantly dropping off the edge of the 55 m stone edge – a lot of water all in all.

Stone masonry had to be realized with utmost precision. Surfaces are polished and sandblasted respectively. The edges over which the water runs off, were rounded by hand and polished. Angola Black Granite was used and stone masonry carried out by Szerelmey Company „under direction of the great John Guest“, according to Altenburger. Sheppard Robson Architects and St. James Homes provided support in planning.

Ekkehard Altenburger

Szerelmey

Photos: Ekkehard Altenburger, Lewis Ryan

During the Great Fire of London in September of 1666 the city literally lived through the Apocalypse. 70,000 – 80,000 citizens’ homes were destroyed and even St. Paul’s Cathedral burnt down. After the flames and the heat died down, citizens tore down the remaining ruins of the medieval house of prayer and rebuilt it. A hint of the original building can now be seen on the place south of today’s Cathedral where parts of the foundation were reconstructed and serve as an enclosure for the part of the lawn.

Stone masonry was realized by Stonewest using various types of Purbeck limestone – the very same material to be found in the actual foundation of the old church 1 m below. Special notice should be taken of the stone inlay work around the lawn where the entire floor plan of the new and old houses of worship are integrated into the green.

Architect was Purcell Miller Tritton LLP.

Stonewest

Sandstone long defined the history of Ballast Point, situated on the Birch Grove Peninsula on the way to Sydney’s harbour. It was the first stop for ships on their way back from Australia to Europe where ballast was loaded on board. Later Oil producing companies set up their tanks at the foot of the quarry. It is now home to Ballast Point Park aimed at sustaining awareness of the various phases which history bestowed on the area while providing a grand view of the harbour and the famous Harbour Bridge.

The new terraces are literally making history: Gabions serving as supporting walls are filled with rubble from the old industrial complexes – not only stone and concrete but also metal was filled into the cages – a fact worth mentioning, as some of the metal shines uncorroded and seemingly lights up under the setting sun.

Another highlight is Tank 101 and some of the round lawn surfaces reminiscent of the old tank ground surfaces. One attraction is the work of artist Robyn Backen entitled „Balance and Ballast“.

Unfortunately we were unable to get permission to publish photos which can, however be viewed on a webpage.

(December 2011)

The Svaneti-Towers of the Great Caucasus in Georgia were selected for this year’s bi-annual prize for Architecture in natural stone and are described in detail in the accompanying catalogue. Allow us to present the projects.

The Svaneti-Towers were erected between the 11th and 13th century and made of schist, easily split and used in chunks of 15 – 20 cm thickness.

The towers reach 4 – 5 stories in height and served as refuge from enemy attacks or from skirmishes between towns or feuding clans. The two-story farm houses annexed to the towers were left unprotected during times of crisis.

The original number of several hundred of these constructions was decimated over the centuries, leaving approx 150 intact to this day. A Unesco World Heritage Site since 1996 the catalogue states that more efforts are needed to protect the site. First photographs were taken by Italian Alpinists approx. 100 years ago.

Similar towers were erected around the same time elsewhere in Europe, e.g. in the Italian region of Tuscany where they also served military purposes as well as taking on representative functions for ruling families. But, unlike the Italian cities, the Caucasian towns are not fortified by a defensive wall.

The Anávyssos House on the Greek coast near Athens is an unusual combination of old and new: old – the building material making up the wall, i.e. local granite, and the metaphor tying it to the antique Greek temple. New – the steel reinforced concrete roof weighing the building down optically. The building situated directly next to the road to the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio and was built from 1962 to 1964 by the Greek architect Aris Konstantinidis.

The 50 cm-thick massive walls are joined by mortar. The flooring on the interior is paved in schist slabs.

Soon after completion the building it was subjected to sharp criticism. It was said to be „sunken“ in the landscape. Today it belongs to the villa complex of a shipping mogul and serves as a storeroom. The photos were taken by the architect himself shortly after completion.

Combining the traditional with the modern was a tricky business in the case of the Shiva-Temple in the town of Wadeshwar between Mumbai and Pune. Houses of God are subject to rigid building codes just as for the rituals around the church service.

Architect Sameep Padora took it upon himself to create a modern building while at the same time observing the existing rules.

So he transposed the usual square „Mandapa“ where worshipers come together for prayer to the outside. Worshipers now gather out in the open – surrounded not by walls as might be expected – but rather by trees.

Padora chose to keep to the second traditional element included in every Hindu temple, albeit with a twist: „Garbhagriba“ a darkened room with a pointed roof („Shikhara“)- home to the Gods in Padora’s draft still has a pointed roof. But he opened it up to let light fall in the interior. The entrance also was designed with hitherto unseen elements of surprise: a corner was ripped out of the stone wall and replaced by a box made of steel and wood.

The architect, by the way, worked pro bono as did the craftsmen. Local basalt was used.

Spain is home to another award-winning project. It is the former Puente Sarela tannery close to Santiago de Compostela originally built in 1790. During the course of the centuries it became a proper factory and finally abandoned and all but forgotten. Now the complex received a new lease on life and was converted to a hotel complex under architect Victor López Cotelo of Spain.

The historic complex ascends the steps from the banks of the river: the actual tannery was built level with the river powered by the flow of water. Above it, the miller’s house. The building is intersected by the ancient Roman road to Finisterre along the Atlantic. Above it, the factory halls where the tanned skins were hung up to dry.

None of the buildings were demolished. The architect conserved the buildings’ basic structure carefully adapting them to their new use.

Use of material deserves special attention. Wherever a wall was taken down, the team of stonemasons worked the granite to ready it for new use on the spot. Only as a last resort if material could no longer fill the needs was new material bought.

The award-winning entries are presented in detail in English and Italian in the publication Glocal Stone (edited by Vincenzo Pavan, Arsenale Editrice, ISBN 978-88-7743-360-2).

See also: our reports on the other award-winning contributions:

Aires Mateus & Associados, Lisbon: Monitoring and Investigation Centre of Furnas, Açores, Portugal

Standardarchitecture, Beijing: River Terminal and Visitor Centre, Tibet, China. The before bright colouring of the walls has been painted white in the meantime. According to the catalogue (p 65): „In this way the typical color of Tibetian spirituality was recalled, as in the Potala Palace, while avoiding strong colors from coming into conflict with panoramic views and distracting visitors.”

Max Dudler, Berlin/Zürich/Frankfurt: Library of the Humboldt University (Jacob-und-Wilhelm-Grimm-Zentrum), Berlin (third project in the compilation).

(December 2011)

Its red sandstone cladding notably lends a distinct, almost unbearable gravity to the structure. This first impression is, in fact, intended by Neutelings Riedijk Architects: the façade is meant to symbolize the city’s history, the museum’s theme being the obligation of today’s generation to carry the burden of history.

Recurrent window openings break up the quasi monolithic stone block. From the interior exhibition halls what with their lifeless objects of the past, one has a fantastic view over the here-and-now of the city as it stands today including the horizon the future beyond, so to speak.

The openness was reinforced by the Rotterdam architects: the 11th floor reveals a 90° surface rotation affording a spiral ascension on the way to the top. Each level presents a view toward a different point of the compass culminating in a panorama view from the top floor restaurant.

The architects put the city fathers’ ideology in scene giving the historic harbour district a new lease on life by turning it into an attractive habitat after years of neglect.

The sandstone for the façade and pavement was imported from India. On the interior of the building, stone was used for walls of the galleries as well as for their flooring and ceilings.

The stone came in four colours ranging from chocolate brown to dark red to lighter red and finally to orange. The assembly of the slabs was programmed by computer for colour coordination – subsequent mounting was a logistical masterpiece. After all, some 13,500 m² stone slabs went into the construction. The exterior cladding is comprised of 100 x 60 cm slabs 4 to 5 cm thick.

The stone was impregnated to protect it against the elements simultaneously intensifying the colours.

The glass, too, deserves special attention. It is not smooth as might be expected, but mounted in waves forming an S-curve when seen from above. This makes the material stable enough to make-do without window frames – another aspect of open construction. In the corners of the building, the window panes are 11 m high with 60 cm waves.

Another detail: each third stone has an aluminium hand mounted on its surface, a total of 3200 over the entire building. They are meant to attract sponsors. Donors can „give“ 1000 € in hand. The cost of construction was 56 million €, roughly 60% of which (i.e. 33,4 million €) went into the building alone.

The hands also make reference to Antwerp’s: as legend has it, a wicked giant once terrorized the city and extorted great sums until a fairy-tale hero cut of the giant’s hand and tossed it into the river.

„Antwerpse Handjes“ (Antwerp hands) are sold all over the city as a tourist attraction. We recommend the chocolate variety.

Stone was provided and mounted by Belgian Tile Centre, Loveld and Gillet. The bracing of the stone slabs was the work of German-based Halfen Company.

Museum aan de Strom (MAS)

Neutelings Riedijk Architects

Belgian Tile Centre (BTC)

Loveld

Gillet

Halfen

(November 2011)

So the inauguration of the Library of Galicia and the Archives of Galicia were celebrated on 11.1.11 – a palindromic sequence often interpreted as a sign of fate in ancient times as we described in the case of Prague’s Charles Bridge in a past issue.

The go-ahead for the project was equally enveloped in belief and mythology: the decision was made by the Autonomous Community of Galicia in 1999 at the start of the Compostelan Holy Year which also begins at a symbolic date.

Thus the scene was set for a truly meaningful project: the Cidade da Cultura was destined to capture the historic importance of Galicia in Europe and turn it into a sort of cultural-spiritual atelier for future generations. It extends across 265,000 m² and comprises 6 prominent buildings.

The region is not to be confused with the West-Ukrainian area bearing the same name.

Of course such high expectations were predestined to be fulfilled by a world renowned architect. The winner was Peter Eisenman. His concept ties in old and new but at the same time it is so spectacular that it will draw „pilgrims’“ attention as a modern pilgrimage site, setting a landmark which is completely integrated into its surroundings.

Eisenman has incorporated a number of mythological assimilations into the concept as called for by the project’s fathers.

Let us first take a look at the global picture of Cidade da Cultura. Eisenman gave the hill a new crest in the shape of a scallop a symbol for pilgrims over the centuries – today often reduced to a symbol for a well-known oil producing company.

Whereas the original concept showed the shell’s contours clearly, they are now watered down considerably. But the typical furrows of the pecten jacobaeus are clearly definable: Eisenman hollowed out segments between the buildings, creating a reference to the ancient city at the foot of the hill where lanes between houses are common. Within the Cidade da Cultura the highest building is never-the-less 42.5 m high.

Eisenman makes reference to another distinguishing mark of the ancient city centre: the column passages on the ground floor of the buildings where people can take refuge from the rain – the region has the highest rate of precipitation of all of Europe.

Again as in the ancient city centre, passages often widen to open places.

Cidade da Cultura reminds one of a hunch-back touched by the uncanny geological might of the area. The impression is reinforced by the opulent use of natural stone: the outer shell of the buildings is clad in split quartzite with the exception of glass fronts giving the buildings a primeval appearance. The buildings’ fronts are yellow to grey whereas a reddish variety was used for the roofing. It is Eisenman’s first encounter with natural stone for a building concept.

Distinctive, too: the lines running across the rooftops, which are even visible from below. Saw-cut quartzite was used here lifting the surface and colour optically from the rough surroundings.

Let us dwell on the lines for a moment as they play a central role in Eisenman’s architectural concept.

Mankind has long held the belief that imaginary lines across the sky and the earth determine a person’s fate and guide migrants on their journey. Thus the milky way was interpreted as a marker for souls on their way to God; Christian pilgrims believed that St. James’ Way to Santiago de Compostela was invisibly traced into the landscape.

Ley lines, the geological alignment of points of interest, are thought to bundle energy.

Eisenman spanned an entire network of lines over the Cidade da Cultura. They form the grid in the cobblestones and mark the facades of buildings and roofing. Superimposed upon the small grid is a larger one slightly shifted and bearing a different colour.

Eisenman also carved deep grooves over the rooftops. In order not to compromise the understructure he simply layered the raw stone slabs (50 x 50 cm and 5 – 8 cm thick) on top supported by steel girders to which they are bolted. Precipitation is collected along the joints and ultimately runs off over the steel-reinforced concrete roof thereunder.

Fascinating to see how consequent Eisenman is in implementing the linear grid. The lines dip as they run from the roof to the façade and even continue in the window front. The grid-lines can even be found in the interior of the buildings e.g. in the form of reddish travertine in the white marble floor.

Whatever the belief, one must admit that the effect of the ley lines is grand. It animates the beholder to stop and reflect – which must be the self-acclaimed aim of Cidade da Cultura.

What implication this has on the cost of building, is easy to grasp. Let us turn directly to the architect’s statement: „We don’t search our clients – they search us.“

Completion of the Cidade da Cultura-project is planned for 2015. Next to the library and the archive there will also be the Museum of Galicia, the Centre for Music and Performing Arts, the International Art Centre, and the Central Service complex. The buildings connect subterraneous by a service tunnel.

In sharp contrast: the twin Hejduk-Towers which Eisenman conceived as a house of worship devoid of the nave.

Split quartzite is the predominant stone used in building the Cidade da Cultura. The greater part of it was imported from Brazil. A relatively small portion stems from local sources. At this point Eisenman reached the boundary of his possibilities with his aspiration to use local material. For the interior marble and travertine were used provided by Tino and Ipisa/Campo. Sandstone is also included in the list of stone implemented.

The historical city centre was not built in quartzite, by the way. For it the city fathers used granite from local sources e.g. for siding of the Cathedral.

Cidade da Cultura

Eisenman Architects

Video

Tino

Photos: Cidade da Cultura

Drafts: Eisenman Architects

(October 2011)

Only the walls facing the street front are clearly marked off. But they continue along the ground giving them the appearance of orientation markers rather than walls: The entrance to the house is made of white marble surfaces ascending toward the entrance. Whereas stairs often seem cramped, these steps are wide open areas.

Only a few accents, mostly in stone, break the stringent form. That would be the wall to the entrance: raw stone masonry in San Louis stone gives the appearance of a dry-wall. The same holds true for the reverse side in the interior of the building.

Another accent makes its appearance when crossing the entrance. Here the wall opposite is clad in Ramigiatto Green marble again with raw surface.

Apart from these there is only one repeated very soft accent. This is the many turquoise water surfaces in the form of swimming pools and whirlpools strewn about the house.

600 m² spread over two floors is the surface area of the house. Andrés Remy Arquitectos „chose the stone and conceived its design jointly with the landlord“, according to speaker Diego Siddi. The landlord once discovered the green marble used for the entrance and it was love at first sight. Some 400 m² were needed to complete the floor.

That brings us to the last, invisible, almost inaudible, accent which can only be felt in form of a light breeze: it is the water cascade flowing down a glass wall from the second to the first and ground floor. The pump is concealed beneath the hallway of the second floor.

In total the water basins cover an area of 110 m² and encompasses 130 m³ in volume. The pumps for the other basins are situated in the building’s service core on the ground floor.

The polished marble flooring is specially treated to make it skid- and slip-resistant yet shiny. The stone was supplied by Ragolia Mármoles y Granitos who also completed the paving.

It is worth mentioning that the house and garden also have a very unusual panorama view.

Andrés Remy Arquitectos

Ragolia Mármoles y Granitos

Photos: Alejandro Peral / Andrés Remy Arquitectos

(September 2011)

The outer walls and the massive chimneys are comprised of 10 – 30 cm thick Oppdal quartzite. It looks rustic because the beholder does not notice the mortar allowing the structure to appear as one continuous wall – 150 tonnes in mass.

The roof, too, is clad in quartzite so it appears as the fifth façade of the house particularly since it extends down almost to foundation level on the front of the house. The side facing the valley, in contrast, is almost entirely comprised of glass – 44 m wide. Next to stone and glass, oak wood is the third prominent building material used.

Oppdal quartzite is mined in Norway’s Oppdal region. One important attribute is that it can be easily split. The roof is covered in slabs from 1.5 cm to 3 cm thick and surface areas of 0.5 m² and more.

Einar Jarmund of Jarmund/Viksnæs AS Arkitekter Mnal, Oslo, was the architect responsible.

The stone was supplied by Minera of Norway.

Photos: Minera

Depending on the location of a building site, the weight of the roof is sometimes the least cause for concern, as is the case for the Capanna Cristallina (Cristallina mountain shelter) built at dizzying 2,570 m elevation in the Swiss Alps: the construction must be able to withstand the weight of 7 m of snow and winds of up to 200 km/h. So the 3 cm-thick stone-slab-roofing tiles posed no particular static problem.

Building a new shelter became necessary after its two precursors were literally torn to shreds by avalanches. The Swiss architect team Nicola Baserga and Christian Mozzetti won the tender with a building concept, not commonly seen in high mountain regions: they placed a type of cigar box on the summit. The ground floor is comprised of reinforced concrete set into bedrock to a large extent. The two floors above are comprised of rooms for mountain climbers and hikers and are made of pre-fab wooden elements.

As far as the construction material is concerned, the building is entirely conventional, except for the fact that the ground floor is merely clad in rock excavated from the foundation. The roof with stone tiles is typical for mountain shelters albeit that this one is not a gable roof but flat. As the trails jut out from the mountainside, the roof is the first to catch the eye of a tired wayfarer and is thus truly the fifth front.

On closer scrutiny, it becomes evident that the wooden stories are superimposed on the ground floor with a slight offset. This emphasises the entrance optically and protects it from weather. The terrace is paved in rock excavated from the foundation pit.

Around 2,000 helicopter loads of material were needed to supply the site.

Baserga Mozzetti Architetti 

Capanna Cristallina 

Photos: Filippo Simoneti

Gothic cathedrals are generally overloaded with statuettes and decorative elements – how can a modern extension fit in the picture? In the case of Cologne’s famous cathedral, a new entrance to the towers including a souvenir shop was commissioned. Kaspar Kraemer architects decided on a radical contrast to the place of worship: the entrance is stringently right-angled all the way to the roof. The contrasting styles determine the appearance in other ways as well: whereas the cathedral strives toward heaven, the two annexes seem to humbly cower down before it.

Both the roof and the facades of the new section were covered in Herdecker Ruhr sandstone – the roof in slabs of 64 cm x 62 cm x 5 cm thick intersected by 3 cm wide raps to allow rainwater to run off via the slightly inclined flat concrete roof. The stone was provided by Grandi company, stonemasonry by Natursteinwerk Villmar.

The new entrance-building is also worth seeing from below as it leads through passages around the mighty cathedral foundation made of basalt and tuff.

Kaspar Kraemer Architekten (deutsch)

Steinbruchbetriebe Grandi (deutsch)

Natursteinwerk Villmar (deutsch)

Photos: Dombauarchiv Köln, Matz und Schenk

An unusual discovery was made in the Japanese city of Oda in the Simane prefecture: a roof construction albeit not made of stone but rather of ceramic tiles dubbed „Kaidannoie“, or „Stairs House“.

Architect y+M design office expounds that it was at once the wish of the land-lord-couple to reserve a quiet private place but at the same time create a „warm and light“ welcome area for visitors and guests.

The stair-shaped roof has become a meeting place for visitors and an impromptu play-ground for children. The highest point of the building is a terrace. The slats in the steps are the main source of light.

The stair-shape directs the beholder’s view upwards, reducing the building in size optically according to the architects. The tile construction is at once low-maintenance and energy efficient: in winter when the sun is low, rays are directed into the house through the slats whereas in summer the light is directed away. A breeze easily ensues.

y+M design office

Photos: y+M design office

(September 2011)

The building site is situated at the foot of an historical winery already restored with much care for detail. The 15th century town chapel is in immediate proximity. The old buildings were in dire need of refurbishment – run down and inconvenient. But instead of demolishing them, architects first knocked off the grout exposing century-old stone walls.

These were then stabilized and integrated into reinforced concrete structures. Where new facades were needed, they were constructed in the same yellowish whinstone originally used stemming from the town of Mád nearby. Volcanic tuff or whinstone is typical of the area, making up the foundation of the area’s traditional wineries as is also the case for Füleky.

The roof tiles were made of stone plates emulating the pattern of neighbouring rooftops. The winery was restored in December 2010.

Építesz Stúdió

Füleky Pincészet

Photos: Gyula Erhardt