Sometimes, the constraints of a building site push architects to develop truly innovative solutions. This family home for six is a case in point. The development plan mandated a one-and-a-half-storey structure with a gable roof pitched at 45 to 48 degrees. Working within these tight parameters, Holzer Architects created an elongated "single-roof house" that unites living and working spaces, a sheltered courtyard, and a double garage beneath one commanding gable.

From this stark, monolithic form emerge a roof terrace and a courtyard—complete with swings suspended from the concrete soffit—that beckon children to play. To the street, the wooden façade reads as intentionally private. But turn toward the garden, and the house opens up, its internal logic revealed. The south-facing orientation captures views of the nearby town. Built to KfW55 efficiency standards with a heat pump, this home was designed and completed in roughly two years. The ground floor functions as the public heart of the house, where the living spaces blur seamlessly into the garden and pool. Entry, kitchen, and dining flow as one continuous sequence. The living room with its open fireplace sits slightly lower due to topography, yet remains fully part of this spatial narrative. A dark grey, subtly lustrous polished concrete screed anchors the ground floor, complemented by crisp white plaster walls and exposed concrete ceilings. The interplay is refined: elegant greys meeting the warmth of large timber-framed windows, deep window seats, and glass sliding doors to the garden. Warm-toned oak—deployed for built-in cabinetry, the dining table, chairs, and bench—emerges as the design's defining material. Discreet indirect lighting dramatizes every carefully considered detail.

A single-flight wooden staircase ascends between raw concrete walls, linking the living spaces below to the private realm above. Four children's bedrooms nestle under the pitched roof, each with its own gallery, strung along the length of the façade. Opposite their entrances, intimate alcoves provide cosy reading nooks and quiet places to contemplate the sky. The master suite—bedroom, dressing room, bathroom, and study—anchors the upper floor toward the gable end. White plaster, simple joinery, and warm oak flooring and frames maintain the same refined restraint throughout.

www.holzerarchitekten.de

Photography:
Zooey Braun
www.zooeybraun.de

(Published in CUBE Stuttgart 03|24)