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Architects: Gatermann + Schossig
- Area: 237 m²
- Year: 2013
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Photographs:Jens Willebrand
Text description provided by the architects. The task in hand was to construct a new, one-person building adjacent to the X1 heritage-protected house that was built by Peter Neufert in 1959-62. The house needed to provide barrier-free accessibility and feature a self contained apartment, which could later be used by a carer.
The design concept involves the redevelopment the existing surface of the old tennis court and the construction of a single-storey cubical house, from which two sections are cut out, lifted and turned onto their roofs. Situated on the even surface, this design features two high rooms that create volume, provide wide views into the park and let the sun shine into the house from several sides.
The facility rooms are located to the north-west in order to ensure sound and energy protection on the street side of the building. This constitutes the closed formation of the north façade. The glazed south front, which mainly faces the garden and the heritage building, is formed by the two cut out building sections and their terraces. The homogenous metal façade produces an independent, unobtrusive contrast to the otherwise chromatic X1 house. The flush fitted windows add toward a smooth and calm overall composition.
The interior is suffused with light and, thanks to the merging rooms, provides a multitude of transparent perspectives and views of nature and the sky. Despite the reduction of the surface area to suit the use related dimensions, the rooms convey a sense of variable and fascinating spaciousness, which is supported by both the multifaceted lines of sight and the sun and light conditions that change along with the respective season and time of day.
The material and technological concept correlates with the realisation of a holistically planned design. A well coordinated energy concept, with concrete core cooling, air, water and heat pump and controlled living space ventilation, ensures the provision of a low-energy house standard. Reduced details, featuring white walls against a copper red, cast floor, create the basis for an aesthetic room that facilitates a high standard of indoor environment quality.
