The glorious 5 shortlist: K59

The shortlist for our young talent competition “The Glorious 5” has been announced. Here we present the K59 project by Studio Cross Scale.

The Wilhelminian-style building with an exposed façade typical of the city of Stuttgart was provisionally rebuilt in the 1950s with a gabled roof, which Studio Cross Scale has now reinterpreted in a contemporary style without neglecting the historical context of the building.

There are numerous old buildings on Stuttgart’s slopes, some of which were lovelessly and provisionally rebuilt in the post-war period and now need to be renovated. Studio Cross Scale, an architecture firm from Stuttgart founded in 2018, set out to create a contemporary reinterpretation of a pitched roof for the 130-year-old building for the K59 project, while at the same time respecting the historical character of the building.

The result is a copper-clad roof that blends into the ensemble of buildings with its changing patina and presents a “fifth façade” that is visible far beyond the Stuttgart valley.

During construction, care was taken to work sustainably and durably and not to forget traditional craftsmanship, which is evident in the design of the supporting structure and the roof construction: The copper skin of the roof is based on a timber construction with cellulose insulation, which can also adapt well to changing climatic conditions and movements. Studio Cross Scale has thus implemented a sustainable and future-proof project with K59, which blends in well with the surrounding building ensemble.

The architects at STUDIO CROSS SCALE see themselves as a planning manufactory that works between contemporary action and respect for tradition. In everyday office life, the constant questioning of the built environment is supplemented with internal experiments. Because not every project is equipped with the same prerequisites, every client is individual. At STUDIO CROSS SCALE, understanding this is the driving force for an examination of the most diverse scales and disciplines, which are developed in a constructive and interdisciplinary exchange. This is why the team consists of planners, practitioners and doers, in order to work across all scales in this complexity.

Here you can find the overview of all shortlisted projects of our young talent competition “The Glorious 5”.

The five winning projects will be presented live on March 11, 2021: Register here.