The Steingau district is located west of the historic old town of Kirchheim unter Teck. Urbanity, diversity and density are essential framework conditions for the development of the district. In addition, the aim is to create a high quality of life and a colourful cityscape composed of various building blocks. The plots were determined via an application process followed by an award procedure.

For a young family, a six-metre-wide gap between buildings became the starting point for their new home in the neighbourhood. Mehr* Architects designed a four-storey residential building on the narrow plot. It is accessed via an entrance floor that mediates between street and courtyard level. Here there is a studio room and a cloakroom, behind whose rear wall the staircase to the first floor is concealed. Upstairs is a two-storey living space with a kitchen that mediates between the dining area and the living room. From the staircase, a round cut-out in the wall offers a view of the heart of the house. Above it floats a mezzanine with a work area and an open playroom, from where you can look out over the high living space. A round spiral staircase leads to a hallway with a small access area to the private rooms on the second floor. The roof garden is designed as a "green room" and is intended to create an artificial outdoor space with views of the old town and the Swabian Alb. The house opens up on the narrow sides with floor-to-ceiling glazing.

The entire structure of the walls and ceilings was made of in-situ concrete. The supporting structure both defines the space and is visible on the façade. The concrete on the ceilings and walls is glazed, as are the fixtures and partition walls made of plywood panels. The flooring changes with each floor, giving each one its own character: raw cement screed was chosen for the entrance and a flexible studio on the ground floor, and fine terrazzo for the high-ceilinged living area. A sound-absorbing carpet was laid in the retreat area on the mezzanine level and a light green natural rubber floor was laid on the sleeping floor. The interplay of the textures of the individual materials allows their quality to be experienced and gives the house its individual character.

www.mehrarchitekten.de

Photography Credits:

Sebastian Schels
www.schels.net

(Published in CUBE Stuttgart 01|23)