A Munich family with three children wanted to move out of the city to the countryside and started looking for a detached house with a large garden. An unusual house in Petershausen seemed to be the right choice and to meet their requirements, especially as it was fortunately in the immediate vicinity of the parents of the clients. It turned out that the property was an award-winning architect's house that stood out from its rural surroundings due to its expressive forms. However, it was getting on in years and was in need of extensive renovation.

They found a suitable partner for the necessary conversion and renovation measures in Christian Sandweger from arcs architekten. After studying the old plans, during the initial inspection and further elaboration and examination of the existing plans, it turned out that the architect of the building from the 1980s was Christian Sandweger's professor at the Munich University of Applied Sciences. At the time of its construction, the building already had a very progressive design and met high energy standards, which could only be renovated to KFW 55 efficiency house standard through minor interventions. The building is a solid house with timber cladding. In order to preserve its original character, nothing was changed. However, the refurbishment included all surfaces, including floors, walls and ceilings. By removing partitions between the kitchen, living room and lounge, a more spacious unit was created on the first floor without a floor plan.

A special feature is the cathedral-like staircase, which was given a simpler design in the course of the refurbishment. The wooden ceilings were replaced with white drywall ceilings. This gives the staircase a much friendlier appearance and emphasizes the play of light through the windows. The openings to the garden were enlarged with sliding doors, creating a better connection to the spacious garden. The material concept is deliberately minimalist. Natural oak was chosen for the floors, stair coverings, windows, window sills and handrails. The wall surfaces, interior doors and fixtures were painted a uniform white. In order to emphasize the simplicity of the fixtures, all fixtures were flush-mounted. Inside, the house now looks modern, friendly and as good as new. On the outside, the weathered and greyed wooden slats were retained, giving the house its special charm and character.

www.arcs.de

Photos:
Antje Hanebeck
www.antjehanebeck.de

(Published in CUBE Munich 03|24)