A property owner sought to transform the outdoor area on his private grounds into a space that would invite relaxation and leisure while also accommodating social gatherings. Beyond these requirements, Römer Kögeler Partner Architekten received a free hand from their friendly client. Their design concept: a sheltered structure would serve as the culminating element for the newly constructed pool area. The primary challenge lay in working with a compact footprint that offered limited space.

A striking glass cube now creates a dynamic contrast with the new pool installation, its roof appearing to hover weightlessly above. Designed for multiple functions, it features radiant ceiling heating and integrated lighting. The structure was conceived as a column-free all-glass construction with load-bearing glass walls that blur the boundaries between interior and exterior, between the visible and invisible. A stylized branch labyrinth adorns the roof surface, framed by the trees surrounding the property. The interplay of light and shadow continuously generates new perspectives. In addition to glass, graywacke was selected as a distinctive material for the outdoor flooring and the boundary walls, which incorporate a television, an outdoor kitchen, and a shower. With its stepped facade and deeply textured surface, the natural stone panels create a dynamic, vibrant interplay of shadows that shifts with changing light—whether from sunlight or artificial illumination. The lighting concept itself makes an aesthetic statement: the light channel is recessed into a joint so that its source remains invisible. The reduction to two materials—glass and graywacke—combined with the contrast between their respective finishes—rough and refined—creates a distinctive retreat space, developed in collaboration with landscape planners. "The owner truly enjoys it," architect Bernd Römer says with satisfaction.

www.roemerpartner.com

Photography:
Jens Willebrand
www.willebrand.com

(Featured in CUBE Cologne Bonn 03|24)