The Crux of Conversion and Building in the Old Town

Once again, I've learned some exciting things. This time while researching storytelling in real estate and architecture. Of course, it's no secret that building and renovating in an old town is one of the most significant architectural challenges. But the obstacles for which the architects had to find solutions in detail left me amazed. Of course, there are regulations for the preservation of historical monuments, the protection of historic buildings, the cityscape, and the fire department, as well as other requirements, such as wheelchair accessibility. But what does that mean in detail?

The example is the Silberhof, the housing estate that is being built in the old town of Schaffhausen. Here we have an ensemble consisting, on the one hand, of a listed industrial building, where respectful treatment of the historic building fabric is necessary. On the other hand, new buildings on the site of non-historic structures must blend harmoniously into the surroundings. Accordingly, Matthias Corrodi and Alfonso Calderon of Dost Architektur, the architects responsible for the Silberhof, know that an architect is no longer a lone wolf.

An example of a single aspect to consider architecturally is the roof. I've never even thought about that, I realize; but it's true: If you look at the sea of roofs in Schaffhausen's old town from an elevated position, you see a great variety of different structures. And the Silberhof should also fit seamlessly into this picture - while ensuring the demands of a contemporary, sustainable energy supply. In this case, through PV systems. The result at Silberhof is astonishing because the architects favored different roof types for the benefit of the overall cityscape: accessible flat roofs, non-accessible with PV, and pitched roofs with traditional plain tiles. And the Schaffhausen authorities are happy that there will be no repetition in the image of the roof systems.

To the Silberhof website

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