The yearning for nature has gained new momentum among urban dwellers, especially since the pandemic years. Cologne architect Kai Matzak felt this pull toward rural life well before then. Yet his search through the Eifel's existing properties revealed a persistent problem: most were simply too large for his family's actual needs – why heat and maintain space that would sit empty? After an extended property search, opportunity finally knocked 45 minutes south of Cologne, in the small Eifel village of Marmagen. There, on a 500 m² plot at the village's edge, the architect realized his vision in just ten months: "Refugio75" – a sustainably built year-round refuge, precisely calibrated at 75 m² of living space, offering pastoral views across a paddock and seamlessly preserving the existing trees that graced the site.

A generous kitchen, dining, and living area flows across a single, barrier-free level, opening entirely to the terrace via a sliding glass wall. Two bedrooms, a compact home office, and the bath occupy the rear. A deep monopitch roof stretches across all adjacent outdoor spaces – each room extends naturally outward while south-facing areas gain summer shade and larch wood windows enjoy complete weather protection. The weather-exposed side shelters behind a garage, while the entrance orients toward the protected southeast. This generously sheltered outdoor space flexibly serves as carport, covered terrace, or versatile refuge from the elements.

Horizontal lines animate every architectural gesture – from roof to continuous steel framework to natural stone coursing and window rhythm. Every material was chosen for its visual presence and its origin: locally sourced. Load-bearing pumice from the Neuwied Basin pairs with regionally quarried Weibener tuff, bound with trass mortar, creating a solid, resource-conscious assembly without synthetic insulation. Mendiger lava basalt paves the terrace and outdoor areas in permeable trass joints. The roof wears durable zinc – no pre-weathering needed, just a natural patina that emerges after the first winter. Inside, oiled wood sets the character: birch cabinetry and shelving, robust oak flooring. Grey slate provides striking contrast in the bath. A modest heat pump feeds the radiant floor heating, supported by a traditional Norwegian wood stove – efficient warmth from minimal means.

www.kai-matzak.de

Photography Credits:

Dorit Werheid
www.picsandplan.de

(Featured in CUBE Cologne Bonn 04|22)