The history of the linear village of Wesseling-Urfeld extends back to Roman times. The characteristic building tradition for this idyllic Rhine-side settlement featured rectangular courtyard farm complexes with adjacent cultivated fields, whose brick construction created a unified and distinctive village character. In extending an existing residential building from the 1930s, LHVH Architects from Cologne deliberately drew upon this historic settlement structure and realized a fully enclosed courtyard configuration. The repurposing of agricultural and building land, combined with ongoing sprawl, has led in recent decades to the erosion of the site's traditional building and field structures. Growing communities and the challenging economic circumstances of local agriculture prompted successive land sales and uncoordinated new development lacking overarching planning principles. The existing building is situated in the "second row" back from the Rhine, west of the old Rhine Street, along which the village developed. It remains one of the few surviving structures that maintains a clear building line.

Four new buildings developed on the property expand the living space and create an additional residential unit. Beyond this, they house a small swimming pool with sauna, an office, and a vehicle hall with a workshop for the client's classic car collection. The resulting courtyard structure references the historic four-sided farmhouse layouts while simultaneously continuing the existing building alignment: the new structures, particularly along the neighboring Kirchstraße, work together with the existing buildings across the way to define a new street space that carries the density of the old Rheinstraße into the "second row" of development. The four houses are designed as simple, cubic volumes with gabled and lean-to roofs. Depending on their use, the openings cut into the facades orient themselves either toward the public street or toward the private courtyard realm. Sustainable, regionally sourced materials such as brick, slate, greywacke, and wood characterize the architecture. The proportionate, serene courtyard creates a balanced relationship between proximity and distance among the residential units and their various uses. Niches between the buildings ensure privacy. Landscaping and water features contribute positively to the climate through shading and cooling effects. Sustainability and energy independence define the site's energy concept—reinforced by the client's professional involvement in renewable wind energy technology. Groundwater drawn from on-site wells supplies heating energy to the buildings via heat pumps. Controlled ventilation is provided through an earth-heat exchanger system laid beneath the courtyard surface. The household's electricity needs are met by a photovoltaic system installed on the roof of the vehicle hall.

www.lhvh.de

Photography Credits:

Veit Landwehr
www.bildpark.net

(Published in CUBE Cologne Bonn 01|21)