Aluminiumhaus

Aluminiumhaus rises in Düsseldorf as a five-storey post-war building with a fully glazed facade. Helmut Hentrich and Hans Heuser designed it with assistance from Hubert Petschnigg. Built between 1952 and 1953, it originally combined homes and offices for the Olga van Meeteren company. Its aluminium-clad supports taper forward and divide the glass vertically, giving the frontage its distinctive rhythm.

Horizontal plaster balconies and rod-steel railings cut across the window rows, while natural-stone cladding frames both sides. A cantilevered roof slab completes the light, open composition. The design reflects an early 1950s shift towards lightweight materials, transparency, and less monumental architecture in Düsseldorf. Its contemporary character contrasts with the neighbouring Gerling Group office building, associated with Arno Breker.

The protected monument now houses offices for the House of History of North Rhine-Westphalia. At the rear, a stricter facade leads towards a central entrance hall with a circular spiral staircase. The staircase rises through a fully glazed stairwell, turning the building’s interior circulation into its most memorable architectural detail.