At Home in Steel

Since the introduction of steel as a building material in the early twentieth century, its superior performance has challenged conventional wisdom about construction, enabling designs of surprising lightness and span. From the Eames House in Los Angeles to the Hôtel Tassel in Brussels and the Maison de Verre in Paris, At Home in Steel celebrates the use of steel in residential architecture. These icons of steel construction should inspire architects to rediscover the advantages of this versatile material in contemporary residential architecture, from industrial prefabrication and a swift, dry construction process to structural adaptability over a building’s lifetime.

Drawing on recent research at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Constructive Design, the essays in At Home in Steel reflect on steel residential architecture from today’s perspective. The book features contemporary examples by Atelier Bow-Wow, Christian Kerez, Lacaton & Vassal, and Made In, among others.

With contributions by Ingrid Burgdorf, Patric Fischli-Boson, Patric Furrer, Stephan Mäder, Marcel Meili, Daniel Meyer, Niko Nikolla, Tanja Reimer, Astrid Staufer, and Martin Tschanz.