The newly constructed architect's residence in Grunewald replaces an existing structure whose renovation and restoration would have proven prohibitively expensive. Constrained by limited building footprint and stringent local regulations, the architects had few design options. They positioned the new building on the footprint of the original with minimal setback. The architects conceived the structure as a classically modern cubic form with a stepped upper story.

The character of this residence, home to a Russian family, is formally restrained yet distinctly unconventional. Architect Stefan Zappe recounts how the clients invited him and his partners to Moscow. There, the team toured not only major landmarks but also houses designed by Russian Constructivists, impressions that would profoundly inform their Berlin project. The Grunewald residence feels abstract and reductive, employing an objective formal vocabulary reminiscent of the Russian architectural avant-garde. Through individualized, expressive arrangement of forms and lines, the architects dissolve an overly rigid geometry, bestowing the building with a singular character. The Constructivists focused intensely on working with materials and textures—an approach equally central to the Grunewald villa. Its effect unfolds through deliberate materiality. The façade features unusually large greenish-hued natural stone panels. This Verde Andeer, sourced from the Graubünden region of the Swiss Alps, was cut near Dessau into thin 5–6 mm-thick slabs and adhered to lightweight concrete panels using sandwich-lamination technique. The jointless installation of these oversized panels proved exceptionally challenging, achievable only through a specialized Berlin-based firm. To eliminate corner joints, the stone was even three-dimensionally cut at the edges. Combined with the meticulous, similarly jointless execution of window recesses, the building achieves a powerful monolithic presence. The volume reads as sculptural, as though carved from a massive stone block by a sculptor.

Living spaces occupy only 11.5 x 11.5 m² on the full floors. The partially habitable basement connects to the lower garden level, while the ground floor, with its generous glazing, establishes direct contact with the surrounding landscape. The interplay of different levels, expansive window areas, and the fluid integration of living, kitchen, and dining zones make the spaces feel substantially larger. The kitchen was custom-designed and hand-crafted by a master carpenter. The first floor contains additional living areas, with oak flooring throughout, consistent with the rest of the house. The stepped upper story houses the master bedroom with en suite bathroom and a small work area. The roof terrace commands views toward the nearby church and features one meter of planting substrate, allowing shrubs and small trees to take root. The stepped upper story was constructed using solid timber light-frame methods for structural reasons, and the design approach shifts markedly from the façade treatment. Rather than panels, the soffit employs stacked six-centimeter-long brick units.

Living Area: 271.65 m²
Plot Size: 759 m²
Construction Period: 05/2014–10/2018
Construction Method: Solid concrete construction, stepped upper story in solid timber frame
Energy Concept: Gas heating with heat recovery ventilation

www.zappearchitekten.de

(Originally published in CUBE Berlin 01|20)