The Schuppen ("shed") is a private house conceived by brandt+simon architects and built between 2008 and 2009 in Berlin. The untypical facade of coloured plain tiles makes this house a peculiar new member of the urban fabric. The hasty passerby will not neccessarily take notice of the greenish structure blending with plants and trees conspicuously filling the gap between neighbouring buildings.
The large number of plain tiles and the chosen range of colour lead to an interplay between very traditional building materials in its almost handmade haptic quality and the pixel-like appearance of the whole facade from a distance. The colour gradiant is planned into great detail and laid out as a repeating pattern. It recalls the former nursery which stood at that location and also interprets the clients brief to built a "garden house".
While using the plain tiles for the whole facade a massive and durable solution was found, which beside its design potential provides a technically perfect coverage for the timber frame construction behind.
To underpin the "green attitude" essential to the building, cellulose (recycled paper) was used for thermal insulation. The heating system is supported substantially by passive solar energy panels.
The building was nominated as a runner-up for the 2012 DEUBAU-Preis.