Sometimes the client and architect have known each other for many years. At least that was the case with architect Daniel Krafft, who had already successfully completed several projects with the client. Not a bad starting point for planning a villa. This way, even a client with a professional eye gains sufficient confidence in his architect's design skills. This was all the more important as the brief for the Darmstadt-based architectural firm was quite complex: the aim was to create nothing less than a house that doesn't look like a house. The client deliberately did not want to give the architects any more information at first. Similar to a competition, he wanted several completely different designs.

"This initially resulted in six different concepts. Of course, finding the right shape during the design process was time-consuming," says Krafft about the start of a project that resulted in a villa with no 90° angles. "That was a challenge for the execution planning and also for the craftsmen." In addition, the spacious home is spread over four volumes. A fifth structure in the middle creates uncomplicated connections between the four living areas, whose certain independence is emphasized by the natural stone façades made of Franconian Jura limestone.

The unusual floor plan created varied and sheltered open spaces. In one of these resulting courtyards, for example, the architects accommodated a jacuzzi. Not all of the open spaces are at the same level: some are at first floor level, others at basement level. An advantage, as the architect knows: "As it is often unpleasantly windy in the region, the lower-lying courtyard offers some protection and a high quality of stay." Despite the unusual layout, the architects managed to plan the villa in such a way that the entire building volume is visible and, for example, you can look out of the front door and into the garden at the back. As the property is located in a typical village development area, it was intended to be partially shielded from the view of the neighborhood. The architects deliberately created vistas and framed the view, so to speak, so that the residents' gaze is drawn to the surrounding landscape. Krafft and his team used floor-to-ceiling windows to create a beautiful fusion of interior and exterior spaces. 

To ensure that the exterior and interior harmonize with each other, a collage of materials was created after extensive sampling of various materials (with the client). In the end, everything fits together: Corten steel, slate, the color of the window profiles, curtains and parquet flooring. The Franconian Jura limestone is also used again inside. Real wood parquet made from brushed limestone oak was chosen for the floors in the living areas. The laying direction of the parquet was also retained on the stairs. In the sanitary rooms and in the basement, some of the floors and walls were finished with a seamless filler.

www.danielkrafft.de

Living space: approx. 330 m²
Plot size: approx. 830 m²
Construction time: 2 years
Construction method: Solid construction with curtain facade
Energy concept: Geothermal energy

(Published in CUBE Frankfurt 01|20)