Corten steel envelops live-work space set among red roofs on a Bavarian hill

The Gothic landscape of Landshut and the steep slope of the hill on which it is built are the main factors that determined the development of the mixed-use building designed by the German firm Architekturbüro Leinhäupl + Neuber (ALN).

Featuring an exposed concrete structure and Corten cladding, the three-storey building houses two offices and a top-floor apartment, with a basement car park that can contain up to 15 vehicles.

ALN’s project appears as a monolithic structure, with materials that tone with roofs of the historic fabric. The untreated metal forms a new layer a few days after installation and will continue to change texture with time and exposure to the weather.

The most critical part of the design was dealing with the rapid slope. Beyond the static complications, solved by stabilizing the ground, the builders had to deal with massive water losses from the ground. Making a virtue of necessity, the flows were channelled, collected and exploited for plumbing and heating.