Living in a listed building designed by Germany's first female architect must be an uplifting feeling. The newly renovated and extended wooden house in Zehlendorf has a charming aura, even though the style of the time – the house was built in 1909 – no longer quite matches contemporary tastes. It bears the name of its creator: Haus Winkelmann – designed by Emilie Winkelmann (1875–1951). She was forced to complete her architectural training as a "guest student" at the Technical University in Hanover. At that time, women were not yet allowed to study architecture. And therefore not allowed to take the final exam either. Nevertheless, she soon founded her own office and was quite successful with her buildings.

In the meantime, Haus Winkelmann had been rebuilt several times and its length had been extended by 5 metres along the ridge. During its careful renovation, the Bernrieder.Sieweke Lagemann.Architekten architectural firm restored the original floor plan and extended the house by another 5 metres in the direction of the ridge using timber frame construction, with the timber construction being carried out on site in the traditional carpentry style. Surprisingly, despite the extension, which now measures 10 metres, the proportions of the house have been retained. On the east side of the steep gable roof, four dormer windows were added in keeping with the original design. On the west side, the house already had a gable dormer window in the centre. An open floor plan was chosen for the attic, while the original floor plan from 1909 was reconstructed on the ground floor.

The black log cabin with its horizontal mortised wooden planks and small veranda at the front has an inviting effect. This is reinforced by the faithfully restored red and white colour scheme of the gable. Before her unauthorised studies, Emilie Winkelmann had completed a carpentry apprenticeship and was therefore well versed in working with wood in construction. The architects took a subtle and respectful approach to the entire renovation and extension, continuing the original design concept.

www.bsl-architekten.de

Photography Credits:

Stefan Josef Müller
stefanjosefmueller.de

(Published in CUBE Berlin 02|21)