Overlooked attics in urban centers often hold untapped potential for densification. Such hidden treasure – valuable living space – lay dormant in a multi-family house, a typical post-war building from 1953. During a comprehensive renovation, the architects transformed it into a generous attic apartment, distinguished by its intelligent spatial planning and luminous, airy rooms.

Set quietly in a rear courtyard, the building once housed four units – plus a traditional drying room, long obsolete. Schlering Architektur saw the opportunity: transform this forgotten space into a modern home. Through careful spatial planning and flooding the interior with natural light, they created a bright, welcoming living environment.

The true showstopper is the new balcony: hovering boldly from the roofline with a silvery frame, it resembles a sleek, suspended retro monitor anchored to the roof. "To preserve sightlines for residents below, we deliberately eliminated support posts beneath the balcony, opting instead for an elegant reinforced concrete and timber structure," architect Florian Schlering explains. Two dormers flank the balcony, their vertical metal cladding echoing the balcony's sophisticated design language. Sustainability anchors the entire renovation strategy. The building now meets KFW 55 standards, signifying exceptional energy efficiency. Heat pumps and radiant floor heating throughout nearly every level exemplify the environmental measures integrated during modernization. KfW funding of up to €150,000 per unit made the renovation both economically and ecologically compelling. The complete renovation took just under a year. With this successful project, Schlering Architektur demonstrates a forward-thinking approach: reclaiming unused attics generates much-needed housing while breathing new life into urban neighborhoods.

www.schlering-architektur.de

Photography:
Philip Kistner
www.philipkistner.com

(Published in CUBE Düsseldorf 04|25)