The boom in converting old attics is still going strong - and you would think there wouldn't be a single unused attic left in Munich by now. The future owner of this roof in Neuhausen purchased the attic and an existing attic apartment at the same time, so that the existing living space could be extended to include the attic space and the previously unused loft.

For a number of reasons - renovation of the load-bearing structure, fire protection and energy efficiency - architect Urs Fridrich and Benjamin Nejedly from Eneff-Architekten in Munich decided to replace the existing roof truss with prefabricated CLT (cross laminated timber) solid wood panels. All previously unused areas needed to be insulated. The existing apartment had to be dismantled to allow for a completely new floor plan. This is designed at attic level so that the right-hand half can be separated off and turned into a separate living unit if necessary. There is a bathroom and two living rooms here and there are also connections for a kitchen. The kitchen with dining and living room is located in the left-hand half. The bathroom and bedroom are located under the roof peak, which can be reached via a narrow staircase. The real highlight of the conversion is here. In the middle between the bathroom and the bedroom is a living room/lounge/study - with a large panoramic window with a porch, i.e. a balcony-like exit. The architect created this and other windows on the roof area to meet the clients' wish to bring as much light as possible under the roof.

What may sound simple here was associated with the difficulty that the old roof truss was not structurally designed for such a "perforated" roof. It therefore had to be completely dismantled and rebuilt. The new living space is now 124 m² in size, with several possible variations in the room layout and many smaller and larger roof openings with views over the rooftops of Neuhausen.

www.eneff-architekten.de

Photos:
Dominik Oczkowski

(Published in CUBE Munich 03|24)