Beautiful old, tall trees were the starting point for a spacious detached house that was to be built on a plot in a housing estate in Junkersdorf. The clients wanted a house for the family of five with plenty of natural light and views of the large garden, rooms for the children to "grow into", but also retreats for the parents and sufficient storage space - including in the kitchen. Klara Architekten from Cologne, who were commissioned with the design and execution of the project, proposed a two-storey solitaire with a recessed staggered storey, which is characterized by its individual room organization and sustainable timber frame construction.  

The broad building is located in the middle of the plot between a front street-side garden and a smaller rear garden with trees. The open floor plan of the living area on the first floor is oriented to the west and east in both directions. The large, floor-to-ceiling window fronts provide natural light regardless of the time of day. A recess in the street-side glass façade separates the entrance area with checkroom, guest WC and access to a guest room and the garage, which is accessed from the side of the building, from the living area, which has a covered terrace area. The central core of the house is formed by the single-flight staircase and the kitchen, which is positioned centrally in the room: a generous air space with skylight spanning several floors provides sufficient lighting that varies with the seasons, while also serving as a communicative interface between the floors. The spacious living, dining and cooking area also features a small single-storey glass cube that protrudes from the building structure, creating a conservatory-like retreat with a green garden backdrop. A "backstage kitchen" suitable for everyday use is also attached to the minimalist kitchen, in which everything that should not catch the eye can be stored. The upper floor is accessed via a corridor, which is lit by several top lights: While the master bedroom with its own bathroom and dressing room faces the morning sun on one side, the elongated loggia, around which the three children's rooms with a bathroom are grouped, receives afternoon sun and a view of the street. Each children's room has a loft-like two-storey design: A spiral staircase leads to a sleeping gallery, which is also lit by a generous, floor-to-ceiling window front.

From the outside, the open impression of the house is defined by the large transparent window areas, which are complemented by closed timber formwork. The vertical strip formwork made of larch wood is given an additional storey-by-storey structure by the horizontal areas. The formwork, which is pre-greyed in a dark shade, prevents soiling caused by the neighboring trees. However, the pre-greyed wood, planed with a micro-ribbed surface structure, will lighten over time and eventually grey gracefully. In the interior areas, as many custom-made built-in cupboards as possible were integrated not only in the kitchen, but also in all other areas - even the bathtub has found its "cozy place" in a niche in the dressing room. In keeping with this, interior doors were concealed flush in wooden wall paneling. In terms of energy, the house is equipped with a heat pump that also works in cooling mode in the warmer months - however, the shading and natural ventilation alone ensure a sufficiently comfortable indoor climate in the timber construction, which has blown-in cellulose insulation.

www.klara-architekten.de

Photos:

Matthias Thorner
Guido Schiefer
www.guidoschiefer.de

(Published in CUBE Cologne Bonn 03|23)