The facades on the street side are constructed of brick, glass and copper – materials that make the building blend in with the surrounding and its atmosphere. The building holds twenty apartments with private parking spaces and two commercial spaces on ground level. Residents live here in an urban style around a snug communal courtyard in the midst of the city.

The buildings’ peculiar shape refers directly to the locations’ history. When the street was still a waterway, it made a bend on this particular location to unload the wares. The shape of the building reacts to the current urban situation. The mass of the building is divided into four parts to match the size of its environment. The building is cut in half creating a passage, leading to the buildings’ courtyard. It resembles the small alleyways that the historic city centre is famous for. This partition also functions as a connection between the different floors and corridors.

The facades on the street side have been build up from brick, glass and copper with anthracite window frames. This in contrast to the facade on the courtyard, which is build up with warm materials and colours. The architect Beatrice Montesano, Italian by birth, has a special affection towards copper. Copper is a very flexible material, which makes it possible to form panelling with integrated drainpipes, giving the whole a chic and refined appearance. The love for copper however is probably within her genes, because a big part of the global copper production comes from and is used in Italy. Italy does not mine any more, but recycles a lot of its artefacts and old building materials. The architect is fascinated by the idea of the previous life of the copper used. The change of appearance over time amplifies the idea that copper is a material that is very much alive.