A typical suburban street in western Cologne features single- and two-storey detached homes aligned along their front gardens in an ordered building line. The client envisioned a studio house on his property—a dedicated creative sanctuary nestled beside his private residence, where he could work undisturbed within his art collection. To maximize the site's potential while respecting the urban fabric, Cologne-based architects Axel Steudel designed an ingenious solution: a rentable residential building positioned at the street edge, paired with a studio house set back on the property.

The architectural language of the surrounding context informs a straightforward two-storey residence, defined by carefully positioned openings and meticulously detailed elements. Set back further on the lot, a single-storey volume houses the studio. Together with the existing structures, these new buildings frame a verdant shared courtyard—used by the client in conjunction with the studio. The second residence opens onto its own sheltered terrace, independent from the courtyard. This contemporary interpretation of the front house and rear house typology enables remarkable flexibility: the two units function seamlessly together or independently, serving as residence and workspace, office, practice, workshop, or studio. Each has its own barrier-free entrance. They connect via a basement passage or, at grade level, through an optional connecting corridor.

Clad in clinker brick, both structures establish visual continuity with their surroundings—a dialogue reinforced by their shared building alignment. The cross-bonded brick façades feature the distinctive warmth of red Rhenish ring-kiln bricks from Gillrath, enriched by handcrafted details: soldier courses, brick window lintels, and roll courses at the cornices. Concrete canopies mark each entrance while echoing the covered zones of the existing courtyard structures. White-painted timber windows and copper roofing complete this restrained material vocabulary. Inside, white plaster, oak and stone flooring, and crisp-tiled bathrooms establish a timeless aesthetic. Underfloor heating serves every room, while a heat pump manages domestic and heating water supply. A photovoltaic system rounds out the small ensemble's sustainable infrastructure.

www.axelsteudel.de

Photography Credits:

Christian Eblenkamp
www.christian-eblenkamp.de

(Published in CUBE Cologne Bonn, 04|21)