Overview
Coincidental as it may seem, House 6 is another residential building that we will introduce this week. It now makes three in a row to build up kind of a momentum, but this special one is surely worth our time for exploration. Now let’s delve into the world of stainless steel through the case of House 6 in Berlin.
House 6 in Berlin
House 6, known as “Haus 6” in Germany, is located at Lehrter Strasse 57, near Berlin’s main station. Built also for private client, House 6 sets itself apart from the previous cases by being home to a group of clients, say 10 households, with a gross floor area of 1951 square meters.
Completed in December 2017, the four-story House 6 stands out from its neighborhood in two aspects. First is the contemporary look which distinguishes itself from the adjacent historic buildings made of bricks or concrete modern ones. Second, the households living there are nothing representative. They are an assembly of artists and creatives, which sets the tone for the distinctive design.
Background Information of House 6
The grounds of the "Werkhofs 57" where House 6 sits used to be a large volume walled compound built in the 19th century for the Prussian military. After World War II, the whole area became desolate for a while until it was revived by West Berlin artists, artisans, and architects in the Cold War era. Later, the rapid shortage of housing in Berlin accelerated the redevelopment of the area.
Roughly 20 years ago, the local creative community came to buy parts of the area to construct new buildings. The predecessor of House 6 was the former Royal Corps Clothing Office. With 5 years’ construction from 2012 to 2017, it was transformed beautifully into a loft building suitable for both living and working. It was the fourth building that emerged from this historic brick-walled site, but the first one featuring such a conspicuous façade.
Equally important is the background information of the clients for whom House 6 has been built. Despite different professions ranging from architects, photographers, designers, a musician, a sociologist, a journalist to a curator, they have two things in common, 1) they all have partners and families; 2) they are basically involved in creative occupations. The common pursuit for their flats is the maximum flexibility and freedom in the division and use of the spaces in the long run, according to the local architecture firm Sauerbruch Hutton.
The Design of House 6
“House 6 in Berlin shows that other things are possible.” Claus Käpplinger, the German architectural critic and historian, remarked. (Architektur Aktuell 2018). When we dig into this comment, it reveals contrarily the homogeneity of contemporary housing in Berlin. The phenomenon is attributed to lack of both time and room for detailed planning and concept developing to construct an apartment building like House 6. Time urgency is caused by the rapid shortage of housing as previously mentioned. Room for creative architecture design is restricted by the local legislation on preservation of this historic site.
House 6 is a perfect example of thinking out of the box. The architect firm Sauerbruch Hutton does develop a house concept based on their client group, who wants to combine life and work in their space and enjoy maximum freedom. A central lobby with an elevator and stairs divides the building in half. A 2-meter extra-wide balcony with one central staircase is laid out on each floor functioning as private or shared outdoor space per the clients’ demands. Above all, the building is free from internal columns or thick load-bearing walls, allowing for each apartment on each floor an outlook to both the north and the south. It is achieved via the vertical service shafts being hidden within the façade plus the prestressed concrete ceilings.
To match the adjacent old and new buildings linearly lined up, House 6 still keeps in order the same height, cubature and a roof form associated with the historic rectilinear buildings. Meanwhile, the architects are ready to break the order with something unusual, a new façade, which will bring us to the topic of this article.
Stainless Steel Applied in House 6
The striking façade made from large reflective stainless steel sheets from roof to ground consists one of, if not the most prominent creative feature of House 6. It breaks the rigid impression associated with the former Prussian rectangular forms without breaking the unity with its neighborhood.
As pointed out by Sauerbruch, “These rectangular lines are virtually dissolved by the subtly wavy cladding of the stainless steel, which reflects the surroundings irregularly and thereby lends the facade a fluid character.” (Florian Heilmeyer 2020) In the like manner, the façade also mirrors the fluid, changing character of the people living and working inside.
Stainless Steel from CIVMATS China
If you are looking for mirror finish stainless steel sheets from China as in the case of House 6 in Berlin, welcome to CIVMATS China. Grade, dimension, finish and texture are all customizable.
Our stainless steel coils from famous brands in stock can be readily processed into cut-to-length stainless steel sheets plates or smaller stainless steel strips per your demand. 2B finish, 1D finish, BA finish, No.4 Finish, 8K mirror Finish are all available for your multiple options.
In terms of stainless steel long products, CIVMATS produce in-house stainless steel tubes pipes, bars, wires & ropes with great quality. For stainless steel materials in China, Welcome to CIVMATS. Choose CIVMATS, choose safety and reliability.
