At Home in Steel

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Since the introduction of steel as a building material in the early twentieth century, its superior performance has challenged conventional wisdom about construction, enabling designs of surprising lightness and span. Steel offered the opportunity to significantly expand buildings vertically and thus emerged as a symbol of the conflict between technological progress and the architectural ideal. More recently, the use of exposed steel elements in modern architecture ushered in a rediscovery of buildings’ metamorphoses.From the Eames House in Los Angeles to the Hôtel Tassel in Brussels and the Maison de Verre in Paris, At Home in Steel celebrates the use of steel in residential architecture. Despite not often serving as direct models for new designs today and with more stringent regulations on fire and structural safety and energy efficiency in place, these icons should inspire architects to rediscover the advantages of using steel in contemporary residential architecture, from industrial prefabrication and a swift and dry construction process to structural adaptability over a building’s lifetime. Drawing on recent research at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Constructive Design, the essays in At Home in Steel reflect on steel residential architecture from today’s perspective and feature contemporary examples by Atelier Bow-Wow, Christian Kerez, Lacaton and Vassal, and Made In, among others.