This issue of DETAIL magazine shows six international projects that were clever in cutting costs.
In Mechelen, Belgium, even the client stepped in to lend a hand: its timber facade shows off the high-quality woodwork crafted in the on-site workshop. Other measures include the use of modular elements and low-cost materials. The modest budget of Petr Stolín’s kindergarten in the Czech Republic is hard to imagine.
Behind its translucent fibreglass shell is a solid construction whose dynamic spatial structure features varying room heights and open spaces. In Portugal, Summary architects designed a housing estate with modular room units. In Paris, Mao architectes finished prefabricated concrete facade elements with steel railings and wooden shutters.
