The building on Oberwiesenstrasse draws upon a rich vein of traditional building methods, but these references are subtly interpreted. This is not a nostalgic or post-modern quotation, although the employment of rounded arches might at first glance lead us to think so. On closer inspection it is apparent that this building is rooted in a contemporary set of circumstances. The role brickwork plays as a cladding and the moments where it is stretched emphasise this point. But the stretcher courses of the typical wall conditions render the role brick plays most explicit. As Hans Kollhoff observed, with the economic and thermal demands made on contemporary construction, it would be inconceivable to make a brick wall in any other way, at least in the case of normative buildings. Text in English and German. Features an article by Jonathan Sergison 25 colour, 12 b/w images
