Building plots in good locations are few and far between and due to the high demand, land prices only go in one direction: upwards. So Thomas Stark's dream of finding a plot of land for a small house near his planning office for architecture and interior design in Bochum-Ehrenfeld seemed to vanish into thin air. But as a "man of the trade", the Bochum native refused to be discouraged and today a house with 60 m² of living and terrace space stands on a plot of just 40 m² in the popular district of Wiemelhausen in the south of Bochum.

And this is how the story began: Stark Design is based in an old 1960s supermarket in the backyard of Bochum's Ehrenfeld district. The last "plot of land" that Thomas Stark could make out was the garage roof of the former warehouse. It was here that the interior designer planned the smallest house in Ehrenfeld, which cuts a slender figure with its 3.80 m width. The project, which was unusual in itself, also turned out to be an adventure in terms of building regulations. The extensive regulations of the NRW state building code include a parking space ordinance, first and second escape routes as well as clearance areas that must be observed. The fact that the NRW state building regulations ultimately gave the large-scale project their blessing is not least thanks to the development's neighbor, the Bochumer Wohnstätten Genossenschaft. The cooperative agreed and was prepared to make three building encumbrances. As the purely timber construction also fits in well with the large neighborhood of Bochumer Wohnstätten, the final hurdle was also cleared here. The Tiny House is accessed via a walkway on the first floor. Cooking and eating are compactly accommodated there, but with a room depth of 8 meters. The panoramic windows, which provide a view of a 15 m² terrace, make a significant contribution to the generous spatial experience. Warm, dark real wood parquet flooring is combined with white kitchen fronts. There is also space for Charles and Ray Eames La Fonda chairs from the 1960s and a corner for a lounge chair. LED lights in matt black put this in the right light. A staircase folded in steel ST 37 leads to the second floor. There is a small living area with a home office and a bathroom. The furnishings include a home desk from George Nelson and two FK 6725 chairs from Kastholm and Fabricius. An arc lamp by Castiglioni provides atmospheric lighting in the living area. The third level is freely suspended over the 3.80 m width as a sleeping area.

www.stark-design.net

(Published in CUBE Ruhr Area 03|20)