Stavanger Cathedral
About this project
As one of Norway’s oldest bishop’s churches, Stavanger Cathedral is a remarkable example of architectural heritage. Built around 1125, the cathedral has stood at the heart of Stavanger for centuries and reflects the evolution of Norwegian architecture through its Romanesque nave and Gothic choir. Following a major fire in 1272, the eastern part of the cathedral was rebuilt and expanded in the Gothic style, creating the distinctive combination of architectural styles that characterises the building today. As part of the cathedral’s recent renovation, bespoke ultra-slim steel interior door frames by MHB were seamlessly integrated into the historic architecture. Designed with a focus on minimal detailing and precision, the frames create a subtle transition between the existing heritage and the contemporary interventions. Their slender profiles preserve the visual character of the historic interiors while introducing a refined, modern layer to the building.
Architect:
Schjelerup & Gram, Norway
Partner:
Kringsjaa
Photographer:
Marie von Krogh
Location:
NO, Stavanger
Utilised system:
SL30-ISO
Frederiksberggade
About this project
The building, designed by architect Johan Schrøder and completed in 1899, stands on a square in the centre of Copenhagen and also borders Strøget, one of the city’s most famous shopping streets. It stands out for its monumental façades with central entrances and a shop on the ground floor. In 2019, DesignGroup Architects were commissioned to carry out the renovation. Together with MHB, they developed a bespoke solution featuring ultra-slim, thermally broken profiles and integrated brass elements. These brass details age naturally under the influence of the weather, giving the building an increasingly unique appearance over time.
Architect:
DesignGroup Architects
Photographer:
Beeldmaat
Location:
DK, Copenhagen
Utilised system:
SL30-ISO
Concertgebouw
About this project
At Amsterdam’s Museumplein stands a place where music comes alive and time seems to stand still: the Concertgebouw. Since 1888, this iconic building has been home to world-renowned concerts and legendary performances, celebrated for its neoclassical grandeur and exceptional acoustics. The Concertgebouw has now restored its original main entrance, featuring three fully bespoke steel doors by MHB. This unique new entrance reconnects the building directly with Museumplein. Large glass panels and grand double doors create an open, light-filled space that serves as a multifunctional foyer and provides direct access to the Main Hall. Every detail is faithfully based on the original design, seamlessly integrating the new entrance into the historic façade. A striking balance between monumental elegance and contemporary craftsmanship.
Architect:
Merk X architecten
Partner:
Perfect View Windows
Photographer:
Merijn Koelink
Location:
NL, Amsterdam
Utilised system:
SL30-ISO
Akademie der Bildenden Künste
About this project
The 1950s Nuremberg Academy of Fine Arts, undergoing restoration since 2012, recently completed its initial phase. Nestled near the Tiergarten, the pavilion buildings designed by Sep Ruf harmoniously integrate with the natural surroundings. The complex is being renovated (planned and executed) over more than a decade by Brenne Architekten, in accordance with its monument status, as the academy was rightly placed under monument protection in 1988.
The original Uw-value of 3.8 W/m²K revealed an energy-related issue with the existing window systems. Achieving a Uw-value of 1.5 or less without violating limits for listed buildings and without compromising the original minimalistic detailing, was a challenge as well as replicating the overall profile depth in order to integrate an extremely wide spacer between both glass panes. Drawing from positive experiences renovating the Bauhaus building in Dessau, Brenne Architekten navigated discussions with listed building authorities for the Academy’s renovation. The original design of the steel windows from Nuremberg’s Rieth + Sohn in Bauhaus institute Dessau served as a model. The replica needed to enhance energy efficiency while preserving the original window detailing. After extensive research, only MHB was able to achieve all these requirements with its innovative production process of thermally insulated solid steel profiles.
Bauhaus Dessau
About this project
The Bauhaus was one of the most influential architecture, art and design school of the 20th century where, among others, the architect Walter Gropius translated the Bauhaus philosophy into the new buildings of the institute. Focusing on opening interiors for more light by means of steel and glass, based on modernist principles.
One of the most important characteristics of modernism in architecture was the use of slender steel frame profiles. At the beginning of the 20th century, new techniques made it possible to make larger facade openings in order to let in more light. These profiles were usually made from hot-rolled steel. The equal leg profile is perhaps the best known example of this.
In 2011 MHB was approached by the architects renovating Bauhaus Dessau, the monumental building and foundation of Bauhaus modernism. There was no steel profile system available on the market that was thermally broken and could match the exact detailing of Bauhaus. MHB honored the request and developed an entirely new equal leg steel window profile for the renovation of the Bauhaus buildings.
The Classic-ISO® profile is an adaptation of the SL30-ISO® profile that meets the esthetics of the original Bauhaus profiles. It adds outstanding insulation performance to the now 100-year-old Bauhaus buildings. The design and availability of outside glazing make it very suitable for classic architecture and renovation of historic buildings.
Architect:
Brenne Architekten
Location:
DE, Dessau
Photography:
Ward Snijders
Utilised system:
Classic-ISO
All Souls Church
About this project
In the center of NYC a 90-year-old sanctuary on Manhattan’s Upper East Side was respectfully restored. The replacement of the immense arched windows was a critical portion of the project, given their importance to the building’s Colonial aesthetic. The MHB steel windows envelop the place of worship with light, whilst preserving the unique heritage, surrounded by high-rise buildings.
The Ship
About this project
Bespoke double curved windows
This national monument from the early 1920s is an icon of the Amsterdam School, designed by architect Michel de Klerk. The building that originally housed 102 houses, a post office and a small school has been partially transformed into a museum (2001) and the renovation of the houses is now almost completed.
The original philosophy behind the monumental folk housing complex was to improve the living conditions of the workers. De Klerk designed with a great attention to aesthetics. He resisted tightly ordered structures and introduced freedom and organic forms. Facades and windows have curves, arches and strange angles. After almost a century, the facades were found to have suffered the necessary damage, as a result of which the building and especially the window frames did not meet today’s technical requirements. However, due to the special character of the monument, all aspects of the restoration were very carefully examined and planned to preserve this iconic “urban landscape”.
With new 3D Cloud Point technology, our engineers mapped the double curved window frames to replace the iconic steel windows of, for example, the “cigar” or “buoy” on the corner of “the Ship”. The unusual unique shape of the double curved steel windows required a special design to regain their slenderness, detailing and authentic appearance.
Steel strips, essential components of the MHB profile, can be formed in two directions, by bending an arched strip, as opposed to rolled and pressed products. The solid metal strip retains its intrinsic properties, stability and strength. As a result, the production process patented by MHB achieves high accuracy with very small tolerances. The result is frames that make “the Ship” future-proof while retaining its original shape. The steel windows, mounted in wooden stilt frames, have been restored to their original shape with attention to the craft and architecture of the Amsterdam School.
Nedinsco office building
About this project
The Nedinsco factory is one of the most prominent buildings in Venlo. The redevelopment and restoration of the national monument is the backbone of the Maaswaard Plan, the urban restructuring on the south side of the city center. The complex, made of concrete, steel and glass, is a special example of industrial architecture and is considered part of the New Objectivity movement. The factory was originally a complex for manufacturing periscopes, binoculars and distance meters by Carl Zeiss. In the period 1920-1930 the complex was built according to a design by Hans Schlag in five parts.
Diederendirrix renovated the factory and converted it into a multifunctional building with 27 apartments for social rent, offices and radio and television studios of Omroep Venlo and Limburg 1. In total, the building, with a size of almost 10,000 m2 , offers space for approximately 250 workplaces. A bar and restaurant are located at the top of the periscope tower.
In the detailing of the outer walls and window frames, the history of the industrial heritage has been carefully respected and restored. In the interior, the original structure has remained visible. The building is an icon for Venlo again with an urban mix of living, working, culture and relaxation. (source)
Palais des Nations
About this project
MHB manufactured and installed more than a 1000 windows of this historical monument, replacing the originals dating back to 1923 with exact replicas. The windows have been upgraded thanks to MHB’s highly performant and thermally insulated profiles. They now comply with the strict energy saving requirements of Switzerland regarding insulation as well as wind and water proofing.
BFAB
About this project
Constructed in 1920 to serve New York’s power needs, the building was altered in the 60s and again in the 80s to accommodate a live-work space for a famed sculptor Walter de Maria. Even with more than a century of history behind it, today the structure still keeps many of its original relics and the overall gritty aesthetic of its industrial past.
The building was originally designed by William H. Whitehill and constructed in 1919 to support The New York Edison Company’s operations. In 1963, an alteration permit was issued allowing the building to be turned into a photo studio But it wasn’t until the 1980s that Walter de Maria moved in.
The space was left wide-open and used as studio space and for storage. Many of the original fixtures and features from the station remain, including the cavernous spaces boasting ceilings of up to 32 feet high.
The building is now used by the Brant Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting contemporary art and design. (source)