The starting point was a 1930s terraced house with a mansard roof set within a lush, densely planted garden—a structure surrounded by decades of architectural change. To the left stood a 1970s apartment block; to the right, contemporary townhouses. This mixed context presented considerable challenges: building codes, uneven terrain, and facades spanning multiple eras. Yet Reichwald Schultz & Partner rose to the occasion with remarkable skill. By demolishing a deteriorating conservatory, they preserved the street-facing structure while adding a new building toward the garden, creating an entrance courtyard that doubles as a kitchen garden. The result exemplifies thoughtful conversion—a contemporary approach to building within existing fabric.

From the foyer's polished asphalt floor, a staircase descends to the living area on the garden side. The kitchen and fireplace anchor the space lengthwise, while an expansive island kitchen sits perpendicular, bridging the front garden and rear garden. Floor-to-ceiling sliding windows dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior. Scattered across the concrete ceiling, custom lights combine with wide-plank oak flooring, a sculptural fireplace with integrated seating, and seamless indoor-outdoor flow to create an atmosphere of refined ease. Upstairs, each private domain—master suite, sauna, studio—sits beneath its own pitched roof, establishing both height and autonomy. A central circular room with a skylight distributes movement throughout the addition and connects it to the children's rooms in the original building, which expand into the attic via galleries. Every transition tells a story through carefully composed spatial sequences. The original facade materials were whitewashed; existing repairs left visible as honest patina. The new building continues this language with white-painted batten screens and lime-washed brick. Bright yellow railings, deep blue windows, and a striped awning punctuate the composition with summery warmth, anchored by the facade's precise geometric rhythm.

www.reichwaldschultz.de

Living space: 262 m²
Plot size: 947 m²
Planning and construction: 2016–2019
Construction method: Hybrid construction
Energy standard: EnEV 2016

Photography Credits:

Marcus Ebener
www.marcus-ebener.de

(Featured in CUBE Berlin 03|23)