Tag Archives: insulation

Bauhaus

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[A version of this article was also posted at GreenBuildingAdvisor.com].

My apologies to anyone who is expecting a post about the influential modernist design/build movement that flourished in 1920’s Germany.  The Bauhaus of this post’s title is a home center along the lines of Home Depot and Lowe’s in America.

Bauhaus

Bauhaus

I haven’t actually found any hardware stores in Berlin — something akin to Aubuchon in New Hampshire, or the mom-and-pop hardware stores that may still exist in some small towns in America. The biggest home improvement store chain in Germany is called OBI, which is the third largest such company in the world, after Home Depot and Lowe’s.  I have heard that there is an OBI up in the Mitte section of Berlin, but Bauhaus is the home improvement store that I have seen while biking around town.  In fact, a large new branch of this Swiss-based retailer is being constructed not far from our apartment.  DIY is apparently alive and well in Berlin.

A couple of weeks ago, I had occasion to pick up a few items at Bauhaus.  Since I was not in a rush, I decided to tour the store with my camera, taking photos of things that seemed notable, particularly as compared with the product selection at home improvement stores in the US.

The rest of this post contains lots of photos interspersed with brief notes.  If visiting the Home Depot doesn’t give you the shivers, you might find something of interest herein.

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Energetische Sanierung

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[A version of this post was published at GreenBuildingAdvisor.com on 7Jan14]

I don’t know whether there are any building geeks reading this blog, but if so, here’s a post for them.  I am including more photos of insulation details than a normal person would find interesting.

2 stuccoed facadeA few weeks ago while biking back from a visit to Rani’s high school, I stopped at a job site that had previously caught my eye. Although the buildings were shrouded in the usual scaffolding and screening, I could tell that the work involved “energetische sanierung,” or energy retrofitting.

Two workers were installing rigid foam around newly-installed windows.  I asked if I could take some photos, explaining that I was a project manager from the US, and interested in energy efficiency.  As often happens in this situation, their initial reticence gave way to a quick tour of the work and informative answers to my questions.

While the materials and techniques used on this project are run-of-the-mill for Germany, and may be of limited applicability to projects in New England, I like to think that sharing them might contribute to innovative thinking in someone, somewhere.  The rest of this post contains photos and notes about the insulating skin being installed on the building.

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Stadtpalais am Roseneck — Exterior Insulation

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Construction — both new buildings and renovations — seems to be thriving in Berlin.  A local example is the large apartment complex being built at the end of our block.  The image shown on the billboard out front is not in keeping with the spirit of the neighborhood, but it reflects real estate values that have been rising steadily over the past few years.

Stadtpalais am Roseneck

Stadtpalais am Roseneck

Just what the neighborhood needs?

Just what the neighborhood needs?

I walk or bike by the job site several times a day.  While I enjoy checking on the progress, I have also felt some version of “work envy.”  There is probably a word for this in German.  It would capture the feeling that I should be working on a project like that — a mixture of desire and obligation.  While passing the job site, I have even gone so far as to try to identify the person in charge — the site superintendent or project manager — to whom I would walk up and say, Here I am, ready to work, let’s go.  This fantasy quickly fades as I remember that I don’t yet have an official work permit.  More importantly, in thinking about our year in Berlin, I have determined that there are likely better ways for me to make use of the time than as a Handwerker at the local Baustelle.

The following photos focus on the exterior skin of insulation that is being installed on the cast concrete walls of the building.  Rigid insulation in the form of mineral wool or polystyrene foam is finished with stucco.  In the U.S. we would call this EIFS (“Exterior Insulation and Finishing System”).  Here in Germany, this seems to be the most common method for insulating new buildings and retrofitting existing ones.

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