House 36

A house is shaped and engineered entirely of insulating concrete, the first of its kind in Germany. Not only the perimeter walls, but also the faceted roof is making innovative use of this material allowing for seamless construction and the elimination of additive thermal barriers. The German architect Matthias Bauer, principal of MBA/S Associates, researched and designed the possibilities of this material in depth leading to this truly modern prototype house.

MBA/S believes that special places require special solutions.  With the premise to shield the house from the street level, to provide good orientation and views towards the city and to exploit the potential of the garden area opening, the monolithic building almost resembles a mountain crystal.

From the distance the characteristic shape blends into the residential context harmoniously with its triangulated sloped roof.  The vivid presence of the peculiar geometric form becomes evident the closer one gets to the house and is complemented by the relationship between interior and exterior space.

For such a design approach, the roof and walls want to be as malleable as clay and cast from the same material. Poured in place joint-less insulating concrete was ultimately chosen for its superior material qualities. Resulting in a fantastic atmosphere to live in.

Thus MBA/S was able to not only eliminate the need for additional thermal insulation but also to avoid typical environmental and building physics issues. The optimized formula and application of insulating concrete is without precedent in Germany. H36 is a pure monolith with walls, floor and roof cast of the same material that stands out like a boulder on the hillside.

The natural, fully recyclable, composite material achieves its outstanding thermal insulation in two ways. The usual pebble stone aggregate is replaced by recycled foam glass granulate and the cement matrix contains 20% air bubbles. This vapor permeable material, with a wall-thickness of 45-50 cm, allows for ideal room temperatures and moisture balance - similar to an old stone house that remains longer warm in the winter and longer cool in the summer.

Overall the structural concept follows the monolithic principle: the folded shell acts like a frame on two load bearing walls. MBA/S in collaboration with the structural engineers from RFR, material and consultancy from Technopor and Vetropor researched and tested the insulating concrete locally with supplier TBR to deliver optimal solutions for all technical and aesthetical demands. House 36 (re-)unites architecture, structure, insulation and technical installations in a single layer concrete stone.

An atmosphere of protection and homeliness is delicately balanced by the large openings bringing sensational light and dimension into the space. At H36 the raw construction surface is the finish quality texturing equally the inside and outside. All the surfaces are haptic and warm with no hollow sounds. Light silver tones emerge from the vivid concrete tones. The rough-sawn formwork provides a rich and sound surface aesthetic similar to a natural stonewall and delicately contrasting with the fine natural wood panels that frames all openings on the inside.

The three floors are connected by a central flight of stairs whose last 11 individual steps leading to the parent’s master bedroom above the main living spaces are delicately hung between two steelwire spiderwebs with no additional connection. The slightly swinging sensation of ascending to the most private rooms of the house is a an example of the detailed care Matthias Bauer put into many of the fundamental components of this house for the users to enjoy everyday.