From the beginning, the architects at Dannien Roller Architekten + Partner fell in love with this Italian Renaissance villa – drawn to its elegant proportions, carefully articulated façade, its subtle setback from the Planie, its seamless integration into the park-like garden, and its bright, generously proportioned interiors. Yet converting it into a heritage-sensitive childcare center with four classrooms while meeting modern building codes presented a significant undertaking. Fire safety upgrades had to be woven discreetly into the existing structure. Take the historic entry hall: it was reimagined as a compartmented stairwell serving as an emergency exit – a solution that allowed the villa's character to shine through.

At the client's insistence, sustainability took center stage: existing materials were preserved, and salvaged elements from other public buildings given new purpose. Acoustic panels retired from a local school were carefully extracted and reintegrated into the villa. During roof restoration, the original concrete tiles were meticulously removed, assessed, stored, and reinstalled after the insulation phase – damaged tiles alone were replaced with new ones matched to the original color. When historic flooring proved missing in certain rooms, the team chose to refurbish the later additions and fill gaps with a graphic patchwork approach. The palette draws warmth from the material diversity at hand: soft blues, warm grays, mustard, and pale greens create a cohesive backdrop. Historic wood elements – doors, windows, paneling, baseboards – received a crisp white finish that ties the entire building together as a unifying visual thread.

The original layout reflected classical residential principles: generous rooms, some partially enclosed. Strategic demolition restored these spatial connections, while collaboration with educators shaped a pedagogical approach perfectly suited to the venue. Four expansive group rooms now serve as the heart, flanked by specialized zones for crafts, art, and movement. A particularly poetic touch bridges past and present: the children's kitchen occupies the former hearth. The original flue was thoughtfully incorporated into the kitchen's design, reimagined as a distinctive architectural feature.

www.dannien-roller-architekten-partner.de

Photography:
Dietmar Strauß
www.dietmar-strauss.de

(Published in CUBE Stuttgart 02|25)