The Kiel Steel House is part of a new housing development located on what was once a parking lot area in the town center of Kiel, Germany, on the German Baltic coast. The design covers a total ground area of 600 square meters and was completed in 2016.
Adjacent to the historic house and town museum Warleberger Hof, the building is completely clad in corten steel, which is also known as weathering steel, a material that helps eliminate the need for painting and other upkeep, as it turns to a rusty color after a few years. It has two exclusive apartments and a business unit on the ground floor.
Its unique design sets it apart from the surrounding buildings, which feature much more traditional architecture. Additionally, as it houses a café in its ground floor, it becomes the center for activity in the surrounding area.
Still, different as it is from nearby buildings, its saddle roof is a direct reference to the traditional architecture of the area, albeit repurposed and done in its own style so as to signify an evolution in the architectural tradition. Even the material, corten steel, harks back to the city’s traditional shipbuilding industry.
