© Ulrich Schwarz

Architects: UTArchitects / Tim Bauerfeind, Henning von Wedemeyer
Location: Berlin, Germany
Collaborators: Matthias Lötscher, Ralf Grubert
Client: RZB e.V.
Engineering: Pichler Ingenieure Berlin
Project Area: 1,000 sqm
Project Year: 2008-2009
Photographs: Ulrich Schwarz

A farm estate was converted into a training centre for carpenters and restorers run by the Restoration Center Berlin. The estate, located in the southern part of Berlin, was founded as a plantation in the 18th century. During the 19th century the farmhouse was built on the foundation of a former building, being extended two times afterwards. During the DDR-times the building degenerated, at the access yard barns have been demolished and instead it has been occupied by garage buildings.

The basement of the farm house was dried up, roof and facades have been refurbished. Along with the restoration of interior wood fixtures some ancient wall and ceiling paintings have been exposed and restored.

exploded axo

With the demolition of garages the new workshop building creates the original u-shape of buildings around the yard. Rooms for administration and training classrooms are located in the farm house. The craftsmen education is being held in the workshop. The workshop is designed as a building which opens up towards the yard and the farmhouse.

The external geometry strongly refers to the old farmhouse, while the workshop is lower in height. Therefore the farmhouse is still recognized as the head building of the composition, while the new building is set-back and appears as an open shell with the interior connecting with the yard.

© Ulrich Schwarz

Facade and roof of the workshop form a continuous surface, which is wrapped over the historic courtyard to create an open hall. The sheltered exterior, the machine hall and the and the craftsmen studio in the mezzanine are separated by glass walls to support communication between the trainees and to offer views into the yard from all corners of the house.

© Ulrich Schwarz

While the facades towards the farmhouse and the yard are glazed full height, the street facade is predominantly closed and only structured by vertical window slits. On the yard side the metal roof cantilevers up to four meters in order to create sun- and weather protection as well as for sound protection towards the neighborhood. The space under the cantilevering roof is used for temporary deposits, and also as a workspace, for educational lessons or rests during the summer.

© Ulrich Schwarz

The workshop is a low-cost wood construction, reinforced by floor slap and stairs. All materials are of simple origin: facade and roof surfaces have corrugated metal sheets on the outside and painted cardboard plates on the inside. All surfaces on the inside are of spruce wood. Both buildings are heated by a central wood heating, filled with leftovers of the daily production.

The Winter Olympics are over and amongst the medals and trouncing the US at hockey, Vancouver was praised for hosting the “greenest Olympics ever” with LEED certified buildings, the use of recaptured gas and the construction of a hydrogen highway. However, London looks set to raise the bar even higher with plans to blow Vancouver’s achievements out of the water in 2012. The London Olympic Authority have stated that they are aiming to make London 2012 the first sustainable Olympic Games, setting a precedent for future events.

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The US Geological Survey has said that California has a 99.7% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 earthquake — or bigger — in the next three decades. University of California, Berkeley Professor and former Architecture Department Chair Mary Comerio says that, “California is probably the best-prepared place in the world,” but there are still preventative measures to be taken. She’s trying to bring the green community, architects and the construction industry together to lobby for retrofit laws for old buildings that are at risk.

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Starting April 5th, 15,000 single-family homes in Los Angeles will be able to earn cash for their trash through the city’s new RecycleBank program. Participating households simply sign up to have their recycling bins outfitted with special ID tags. These bins will then be weighed each time they are collected, and the weight of the recycled goods translates into points which can then be redeemed at a variety of local retailers. There are currently over 1,000 stores that have partnered with RecycleBank, so it sounds like a pretty great deal.

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Designed by Hufft Projects, the “Bent and Sliced House” puts an innovative idea – bending a home to accommodate the curving slope of the site – into action. In addition to bending the house, slicing and unfolding it in a manner similar to Japanese Origami is introduced to create clerestories allowing opportunities for daylighting and natural ventilation. This lovely home also incorporates a number of sustainable features including geothermal heat pumps, a vegetated roof in combination with highly reflective and recycled roof membranes, local and recycled materials inside and out, low VOC paints, a cistern to supply all water required for irrigation, and ample daylighting which eliminates the need for artificial light during the day.

The house’s exterior and interior are also marked by the iconic and sensitive use of Western Red Cedar. It wraps the surfaces of walls, encases bathroom furnishings, and turns from the surface of a wall to form a ceiling. The material’s versatility is exhibited to the fullest. Different finishes allow for subtle but noticeable color variations giving the Bent and Sliced House its characteristic signature aesthetic.

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Post tags: bent sliced house, Eco Architecture, eco design, eco home, geothermal pumps, Green Building, green house, hufft projects, sustainable design, sustainable home, vegetated roof

Spring in New York City is always exciting, but here at Inhabitat it’s not just the weather that gets us going! Spring is packed with tons of great green design events and conferences — like BKLYN Designs and ICFF to name a few. There is a lot to get done in preparation for these exciting events, so we are looking for a new intern to help out our Editorial and Operational teams. As an Inhabitern, you will be given the opportunity to write for the site and will be an important part of a stellar team where, even as an intern, your work is valuable and necessary. If you’re based in the NYC area and interested in getting involved, please read on!

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The Nissan Leaf electric vehicle is set to be released in a few months, with Nissan pushing it ahead of their original 2011 release date, and even ahead of the official release of the Chevy Volt in November. Some industry insiders are wondering whether Nissan has cut a few corners in order to get the Leaf to market – unlike the Tesla Roadster or the Chevy Volt, the Leaf does not have an active thermal management system for its lithium ion battery pack.

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Examples of climate change’s strange consequences abound. Warmer temperatures may bring about more instances of kidney stones and cause longer allergy seasons. Now, research shows that environmental changes brought on by global warming may affect women more negatively than men.

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Last September, China discovered a large reserve of “combustible ice” on the tundra of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. “Combustible ice” is essentially frozen natural gas – a natural gas hydrate, and is one of the newest energy sources to be discovered. The new reserves found in China reveal a very large supply equal at least 35 billion tonnes of oil, enough to supply China with 90 years worth of energy.

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On Monday a bill was dropped on Colorado Governor Bill Ritter’s desk that ups the states renewable energy standard to over 30% by 2020. The bill was passed by the state legislature and will place Colorado in the number two spot in the country — behind California — in renewable energy mandates. If signed by the Governor it will lower the state’s emissions by 30 million tons of carbon, equivalent to the emissions of 670,000 cars per year.

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