A semi-detached house, which had been occupied by three households for many years, was to be renovated and converted into a spacious two-family home. The Cologne-based firm HPA+ Architektur reorganised the two residential units and gave the building a striking exterior appearance that appears classically yet modernly understated on all three sides.

The apartment block, situated in Junkersdorf, a leafy district, originally featured a fragmented, interlocking layout on the ground floor. The larger residential unit, which spans the ground floor and first floor, almost completely breaks down this fragmented structure: generous openings create open, flowing spaces, whilst a carefully arranged sequence of columns clearly zones the living and dining areas, kitchen and cloakroom. Floor-to-ceiling glazed windows on both levels are arranged in a classic stacked configuration, which in turn gives the façade a very clear and uncluttered appearance. The generous openings allow plenty of daylight into the rooms, whilst dark metal frames in the window reveals further frame the views of the garden. A particular eye-catcher is the sculptural spiral staircase in the lower flat: it reconnects the two floors via a spacious atrium. The staircase, which is atmospherically lit by a generous window front, leads to the family’s private area comprising the parents’ bedroom, study and family bathroom, whose walls are finished seamlessly with microcement. A refurbished balcony on the garden façade connects the parents’ bedroom with the study and offers views of the greenery at the rear of the garden. The second residential unit on the top floor is a two-room flat which, like the lower unit, is accessible via the existing, renovated staircase. Although used as a rental property, the attic flat is also generously proportioned: with a clear ceiling height at the ridge of 4.5 metres and a five-metre-wide window front facing the garden, complete with a roof loggia, it offers a particularly open living space with views of the garden and over the neighbouring houses. In terms of energy efficiency, the house impresses following the renovation with a highly efficient water-to-water heat pump that uses groundwater as its primary energy source. A PV system on the roof also supplies the electricity required for operation.

www.hpa.de

Photography:
Detlef Podehl
www.podehl.com

(Published in CUBE Cologne Bonn 01|26)