Mass Made Units

In light of increased demands for resource-saving, long-lasting, and low-maintenance buildings, the potential of solid construction methods is coming back into focus. This publication takes a closer look at building with solid, serially produced components and elements using various construction methods and solutions, discussing both the joining of elements and components as well as the structure of the building itself. Each element is examined with regard to its specific function and its contribution to the wall system.

The publication evaluates traditional and contemporary design and manufacturing techniques and promotes responsible approaches to the future use of materials and modular elementary systems. Thus, the book is a perfect reference work for architects and students.

The first part of the book includes contributions discussing a variety of topics, from reflections on state-of-the-art developments to experimental building practices along with applications of building materials such as unfired clay bricks, the use of different stone dimensions and the role of solid building envelopes. These different findings are illustrated using examples of brick buildings from the Ghent and Leuven region in Belgium and the use of solid stone blocks in a residential building project in Geneva, expanding our understanding of elemental masonry construction. The second part of the book features selected architectural works analyzed by students from the EAST design studio. This graphical study of exemplary projects offers an instructive overview of the constructive and climatic connections of the case studies.

Team: Anja Fröhlich, Martin Fröhlich, Tiago P. Borges, Vanessa Pointet, Lara Monti, Clemens Waldhart, Maria Sivers