Interview with visiting professor Armin Behles, TU Darmstadt, Germany

Building with brick means thinking in brick

“Sustainable building is simple building!” Under the direction of visiting professor Armin Behles, architecture students at TU Darmstadt proved this theory with their designs. The students have come up with high-rise buildings with contemporary forms of housing in Berlin-Friedrichshain. Armin Behles explained to us the idea behind the design of the apartment high-rise buildings, the exhibition “Low Tech High Rise”, design and construction with perlite-filled clay blocks and cooperation with Wienerberger.

Professor Behles, how did you come up with the design idea for these high-rise homes?

The Berlin-based architecture researcher Tobias Engelschall told me about the WBM housing association’s plan to re-consolidate its housing stock in Friedrichshain-West with punctual high-rises. Almost at the same time, I read about perlite-filled Poroton clay blocks, which can be used to build nine-storey buildings. High-rises are just being rediscovered, and even from a very familiar material like clay, we can gain new qualities.

 

What shape has your cooperation with Wienerberger taken?

We spoke to Tomislav...

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