The complex comprises two identical blocks connected at each level by walkways and each comprising six apartments. The structural framework consists of galvanised steel sections set in the thickness of the dividing walls. All the partition walls and envelopes are constructed on a lightweight frame with a double plasterboard skin on each side, affording effective thermal and sound (63 dB) insulation and the absence of thermal bridges in way of the floors.

Nestling at the heart of a residential district of Konstanz, this dwelling unit offers an attractive alternative to the urbanisation of spaces on the outskirts of towns.

While preserving the open character of the locality, it is a move towards relatively pronounced densification based on the principle of superposed town houses. Beyond this efficient urban principle, the architectural style is sufficiently subtle to preserve the domestic virtues of this type of dwelling, based upon the optimisation of private spaces.

The complex comprises two identical blocks connected at each level by walkways and each comprising six apartments. Their layout is based upon a very simple compositional principle: two modular spaces on a 4 x 4 metre square grid positioned against a central rectangle comprising a staircase and a bathroom describe a transverse unit extended on each side by balconies comprising decks of steel grating.Each apartment comprises two superposed units, and even three in the case of the one at the centre of the top level, which extends up onto the flat roof. This vertical grid is repeated three times in each block. The ground floor is completely open and houses the parking and the technical services.

The structural framework consists of galvanised steel sections set in the thickness of the dividing walls. The windbracing is either incorporated into the partition walls, or placed on the exterior in the transverse direction by means of a set of diagonal tie-rods and struts placed at the centre of the gable walls.

All the partition walls and envelopes are constructed on a lightweight frame with a double plasterboard skin on each side, affording effective thermal and sound (63 dB) insulation and the absence of thermal bridges in way of the floors. The main facades are fully glazed on the balconies, with privacy afforded by means of external roller blinds, while the gable ends are faced with steel cladding with a 76/18 sine wave profile installed horizontally.

The uncompromisingly technological design, with steel facades, visible structural work, projecting steel cantilever beams, external staircases, external rainwater downpipes, goes hand in hand with a style inspired by Japanese art, producing flowing lines and reducing levels to so many strata, creating a graceful and dynamic image of the apartment building.

Key information

Number of storeys	5
New-build home

Location of steel solutions

Balcony
Beams
External wall
Facade
Internal wall
Light steel sections
Services
Water systems
Window

Types of steel used in the building

Flat stainless steel
Long carbon steel
Metallic coated flat carbon steel
Organic coated flat carbon steel

Apartment building in Konstanz