A family with two children envisioned an energy-autonomous home for their property in a mature residential neighborhood south of Düsseldorf—one that would honor their predominantly bicycle-based lifestyle while sitting near nature reserves and outdoor recreation areas. To find the right design, they organized a small competition among two architectural practices. off.architekten from Düsseldorf won them over with their innovative concept.

With the family cycling for 90 percent of their daily trips, the architects designed a generous, dedicated bicycle station alongside the existing garage with its e-charging point. Creating this space required relocating the house further back into the garden—a move that meant negotiating an exception to the building line with the local authority, a process that demanded careful coordination with municipal planners. The two-story design features an asymmetrically pitched gable roof: it slopes gently above a knee wall on the street-facing southeast side, then rises more steeply toward the garden, creating soaring floor-to-ceiling rooms. Below ground, the basement accommodates both technical installations and a wellness zone with sauna and fitness area, strategically sunken to capture natural daylight and connected to the garden via a broad, planted stairway. The rendered façade—sustainably insulated with mineral wool and deliberately free of roof overhangs—presents a clean, contemporary exterior. The garage and bicycle station structures frame the sheltered entry while visually anchoring the home against the steeply descending street. Three-dimensionally textured wooden cladding in a pre-weathered finish creates striking contrast against the light plaster. Inside, the architects designed an elegant staircase, while the complete interior—from bespoke cabinetry to bathroom, kitchen, and lighting design—was overseen by 69m² interior architects, who were involved from the project's outset. The home's self-sufficient energy strategy remains elegantly concealed: rooftop photovoltaic panels are integrated flush as in-roof tiles, the garage roof hosts a green roof system, and heating comes from an interior-mounted heat pump working in concert with radiant floor heating (also capable of cooling) and a controlled ventilation system with heat recovery.

www.off-architekten.de

Photography:

Manos Meisen
www.manosmeisen.de

(Featured in CUBE Düsseldorf 02|23)