The house is white, white, white from the roof to the turf: a semi-detached house for two families was built near Munich. To avoid the usual typography of terraced houses, the owners opted for an unusual shape. The semi-detached house is oriented east-west and the two side façades, which do not face the street, have the shape of an archetypal detached house: a pointed saddle roof with generous window openings. Two side-by-side entrance doors are the only indication that this is a two-family house. Otherwise, the building gives the impression of a monolithic, uniform structure.

Unrecognizable from the outside, the room layout inside has different floor plans. The left-hand side of the two halves of the house has a double basement, which was the prerequisite for creating a pool and a spacious wellness area on the first basement level and a floor for technical equipment on the second basement level. The authors of the design, Munich-based architectural firm Harder Groh, not only had to fulfill the client's wishes, but also meet the strict requirements of the development plan. Only two storeys and the roof structure were among the conditions that had to be met, as the house is located in the vicinity of a housing estate with predominantly pointed gabled detached houses. The aim was to ensure maximum seclusion for both households, while at the same time providing unrestricted sunlight.

The house is designed as a reinforced concrete construction with an unsupported attic storey. A white pigmented render, applied using a broom finish, gives the exterior an unusual surface texture that makes the façade appear more interesting. The western half of the semi-detached house is supplied with energy by a modern gas condensing boiler with fuel cell due to the heat requirement for the pool, whereas an air-to-water heat pump is sufficient for the eastern half. The living areas differ only slightly in size: the left half has 230 m², while the right half is slightly larger at 250 m².

www.hardergroh.de

Photos:

Susan Buth
www.susanbuth.de

(Published in CUBE Munich 01|21)