Furnace tower in Cham
The shop does not work properly if cookies are disabled.
Detail price 2022
© Kuster Frey, Zurich
Lorem Ipsum: subheading
Boltshauser Architects win the Detail Award 2022 with their kiln tower for the Brickworks Museum in Cham. The unusual tower complements the museum ensemble there: It is an experiment and an exhibit in one and made of one material that appeals to all the senses – clay. When the visitor approaches the building, one is reminded of a tower tomb in Oman or of the nuraghi in Sardinia: The earth-colored tower, which is around 10 m high, 13 m long and 4 m wide, tapers towards the top, with its black gate resembles a place of worship with transcendental meaning.
© Kuster Frey, Zurich
Lorem Ipsum: subheading
Arriving in front of the massive block, its function as an observation tower with a platform at a height of 8 m becomes apparent. From up there you have a good view of the area, and you can also see the historic clay pit of the only still existing hand brick factory in German-speaking Switzerland.
Building with earth has a long tradition, but the building material fell behind when other building materials such as concrete and plastic were further developed with industrialization. For some time now, however, building with earth has received increased attention as a future-proof, low-CO2 construction method, reinforced by the need to build sustainably. Building with clay uses only 10% of the energy compared to concrete or brick.
Lorem Ipsum: subheading
What makes the tower in the Brickworks Museum so special is its construction with rammed earth, a – it seemed – forgotten construction technique. But clay is booming. And so, in 2017, students at the Technical University of Munich under guest professor Roger Boltshauser worked on the task of designing a new furnace tower on the site. In the continuation of the project, as part of a summer school at ETH Zurich, around 30 students from ETH Zurich, TU Munich and other universities from Germany and abroad produced blocks of rammed earth under supervision – a convincing self-construction project.
© Kuster Frey, Zurich
Lorem Ipsum: subheading
Fessel clay was used as the material, mixed with the demolition material from a house, since the processing of the clay on site would have been too time-consuming. The highlight: the stacking of the modules. Each item comes with the plate on which it was stamped. This slab is initially intended to accommodate the transport of the still soft blocks of clay. The innovation lies in the integration of the base plates into the wall construction. Two grooves on the underside serve as guides for the straps. A weatherboard is fitted to the plate on site, which protects the clay from being washed out and illustrates the principle of joining. As an additional erosion brake, horizontal layers and corners of trass lime are stamped into the clay.
© Kuster Frey, Zurich
© Kuster Frey, Zurich
Lorem Ipsum: subheading
The second technical innovation ensures that the system is strengthened against earthquake loads by prestressing the clay walls. Below, the tension rods are placed directly in the prefabricated concrete base, which protects the clay from splashing water on the outside. A ring anchor made of wood, which is connected to the roof beams to form a rigid plate, ensures that the tension force is evenly distributed in the wall elements.
Site plan – Graphic © Boltshauser Architects
Lorem Ipsum: subheading
A challenge in prestressed earthen construction is the creep and shrinkage of the material, the prestressing steel can loosen. The prefabricated rammed earth blocks used in Cham were allowed to dry out for around a year, additional steel springs in the prestressing steel keep the pressure constantly high. Measurements have shown that the stability and hardness of the material actually increase under pressure. Further measurements will show whether this technology can also be used for larger construction projects. In addition to the purely technical function, the trains add rhythm to the compact structure – the construction becomes a design element.
Floor plan, section, elevation, axonometry – graphics © Boltshauser Architekten
Lorem Ipsum: subheading
Presented as an open-to-ceiling space, the interior includes a showroom and a kiln that employees can use to fire bricks again. Light falls through the joints of the visible layered clay blocks. A spiral staircase, like the black steel gate, leads to the accessible roof. The condition of the design is that it can be fully dismantled after ten years. The clay blocks can simply be reused or returned to the material cycle. Dismantling as integration into the recycling economy – the circle closes.
Podcast: Interview with Roger Boltshauser
More on this in detail 12.2022 and in our database in detail Inspiration.
Architecture: Boltshauser Architects
Client: Association of the Ofenturm Brickworks Museum, Cham
Location: Ziegelhütte, 6332 Cham (DE)
Design: Robert Gentner, Regina Pötzinger, Technical University of Munich
Further edited by: Demian Derron, Reto Habermacher, Johannes Koller, Georg Weilenmann, ETH Zurich
Statics: SEFROB
Light: reflection
Earth building: LEHMAG, Brunnen, with students from various universities
Adobe masonry: Terrabloc
Clay material: Brickyard Schumacher
Wood and metal construction: Nüssli
Prestressing technique: Jakob
gallery
scroll up
Copyright © 2022 DETAILS. All rights reserved.