Even on generous properties, the challenge remains the same: how do you maximize views without compromising privacy? The answer is elegant – a solid façade to the street and neighbors, paired with expansive glazing that opens to the garden. MundS Architects employed this strategy brilliantly in their southern Hesse villa. But with a twist – actually two twists – in the form of planted atriums that pierce the building's core and extend down into the basement, invisible from garden level.

Clad in Nero Assoluto natural stone, the house's outer walls present an intentionally guarded face to the street and neighboring properties. The two garages stand sentinel on either flank, further reinforcing this protective posture—until the wooden lattice work softens the impression. This warmth appears wherever the path invites entry: most notably at the street-facing entrance. On the garden side, however, timber cladding and floor-to-ceiling glass alternate rhythmically across the building's full width, their reflections dancing across the lap pool and its gleaming stainless steel basin. Summer life gravitates here, where an outdoor kitchen extends culinary possibilities into the open air. Inside, the living sequence unfolds across the width of the floor plan—kitchen, dining, and living spaces flowing seamlessly. The bedrooms, though located on the ground floor, are thoughtfully separated from the main living areas by one of the verdant courtyards. These two atriums—one expansive, one intimate—accomplish far more than daylight distribution to the floor's center. Their soaring two-story volumes create compelling visual connections throughout the house and down to the basement below. Sunlight streams through bay windows and penetrates deep into the lower level, where guest quarters, a hobby room, and fitness area cluster around the larger courtyard.

Around the smaller atrium sits the sauna and its adjoining relaxation area, connected by a sculptural spiral staircase that rises into the open air and leads directly to the garden. Yet despite the home's substantial footprint, the garden never feels compromised – the 2,000 m² plot offers more than enough room. And when you're standing in the living spaces or on the terrace, your eye travels far across the undeveloped landscape, making the space feel boundless.

www.munds-architekten.de

Living space: 775 m²
Plot size: 2,000 m²
Construction period: 24 months
Construction method: solid masonry
Energy concept: air-water heat pump combined with photovoltaics and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery

Photography Credits:

Lars Gruber
www.larsgruber.de

(Featured in CUBE Frankfurt 04|23)