A monolithic-looking new building catches the eye as you leave the idyllic small town via the arterial road in a south-easterly direction. This effect is quite intentional, as the architect has housed her own office in this detached house - the company logo on the front is also intended to draw the attention of passers-by to this fact. We are talking about the young architect Stephanie Pfaller from Beilngries, who set up her own office in the house in 2022.

The narrow plot on the slope, at the end of an existing development of detached houses, presented a number of difficulties that had to be overcome: the hillside location with a south-west facing plot and the axis of the new building running towards it were seen as a challenge. As a solution, the architect designed a building that follows the incline of the slope, has a split-level structure - and steps down from the entrance to the garden, so to speak. But first of all, the outer skin is the eye-catcher: the timber-frame house, which is surrounded by larch wood battens, appears completely concealed on its entrance side. The entrance itself is "set back" slightly into the wooden façade - like the keystone of a vault. To the right of the entrance door, a narrow, barely perceptible gap can be identified as a garage door. A gravelled area on the left-hand side in front of the house serves as a parking space for visitors' vehicles. Of course, there are also windows at the front of the house, but their over-battening guarantees privacy. The pre-greyed battens give the house an elegant appearance. This is further enhanced by the fact that a seamless transition to the roof has been created, with the sloping battens of the façade merging seamlessly into the roof made of trapezoidal sheet metal, which was selected so that the width of the grid spacing corresponds to that of the wooden battens. No gutter or drainpipe disturbs the uniform appearance; these were discreetly concealed under the façade. It was a matter of course for the architect to build a sustainable house, which is why wood was the material of choice. The Kfw 40 standard was achieved thanks to an air heat pump, underfloor heating throughout and a ventilation system. A spacious living and working area of around 220 m² was created on a plot of around 600 m². Due to the hillside location, you can enjoy a view of the Sulzauen and the Schloßberg opposite. As the entrance is on an intermediate level, a staircase leads from here to the upper floor on the one hand and the path through the dining and living area on the other leads gently down steps to the garden. This creates different room heights of 2.5, 3 and 3.5 meters. The almost fully glazed living level is located in a projecting central building, creating terraces on both sides. This visually balances out the different heights of the neighboring buildings. A sauna was "hidden" under the roof, which is lit by skylights. There is a music room in the basement. 

It took just two years and four months to build this home, including the outdoor facilities, from planning to completion.

www.pfaller-architektur.com

Living space: 220 m²
Plot size: 600 m²
Construction method: Timber frame construction
Energy concept: Air heat pump, underfloor heating plus ventilation system

Photos:
Petra Kellner
www.fotografie-petrakellner.de

(Published in CUBE Munich 02|24)