Perched on a hillside in the Rheinisch-Bergisches Land, architect Martin Wendling has created a gabled house that integrates beautifully with its surroundings. Bold and commanding, it fronts the main thoroughfare through Rösrath-Forstbach while sharing its boundary with a park—one whose centerpiece honors those lost in both world wars.

On one side, the new construction connects to a half-timbered dwelling that originally formed part of a semi-detached pair and underwent renovation in the 1990s. Since its counterpart had fallen into disrepair, Wendling Architektur designed a complementary new building to complete the composition. "To visually unite the old and new structures, we chose to extend the gabled roof across both," the architect notes.

The new building houses two independent apartments, each with its own entrance. The upper-floor unit is accessed via a single staircase on the street side, while the ground-floor apartment opens through a rear entrance. Inside the lower unit, a generous living-dining area flows into two additional rooms. The upper flat offers considerably more space, with its central living area soaring two full stories up to the peaked gable. An open spiral staircase winds through this generous volume, connecting to a roof loggia. Two more rooms adjoin this central space below. In both units, the primary living areas occupy the gabled section, while secondary spaces nestle within the connecting wing to the neighboring semi-detached house.

Beyond achieving visual harmony between old and new, the project prioritizes sustainable, premium materials throughout. The palette includes ecological insulation and aluminum-framed windows, alongside ash wood parquet and a steel spiral staircase. The walls employ a mineral-based composition, finished with plaster both inside and out.

www.wendlingarchitektur.de

Photography Credits:

Ben van Skyhawk
www.benvanskyhawk.com

(Published in CUBE Cologne Bonn 01|23)