The owner couple, who had previously lived in one of Europe's largest cities for several years, wanted a new center of life that seamlessly combined working from home with living space as a place of rest and retreat. On the edge of a conveniently located village in the Oberbergisches Land region, a plot of land was found on a hill with a far-reaching view, idyllically surrounded by cow and horse pastures. Grotegut Architekten from Bonn designed a single-storey house that dispenses with unnecessary extensions and cleverly combines terraces, pool, garden shed and carport with the living area to create a sculptural whole.

From the perspective of the village, the new building appears reserved and closed off. Facing south-east, the large window fronts center the view of the expansive landscape, drawing attention away from the heterogeneous village landscape. The clear external cubature of the house stands out modestly from the neighboring buildings. The planned building window was deliberately not fully utilized: The focus of the design idea was not on maximizing the space, but on need and appropriateness. The focal point of the house is a spacious living, cooking and dining area, which opens up the view upwards through a cut-out in the roof above the kitchen and expands the space. A semi-open work area and the private wing with dressing room, bedroom and master bathroom with free-standing bathtub are adjacent. They create a harmonious unit with the outdoor area, which is bordered by a sports pool. The wide-span roof construction, which consists of a stacked board ceiling resting on brick wall panels, further emphasizes the impression of a seamless transition. The floor plan is designed to be so flexible that it is easy to respond to changing requirements: For example, the front part of the building can be converted into a granny apartment by adding a single wall. A future barrier-free living situation was also considered and implemented. The energy challenge of a heated sports pool was met with a generous geothermal system and a 200 m² PV system. In combination with a heat pump, this can cover the heating requirements for the entire building and the pool. In the summer months, the underfloor heating cools down the rooms and warms them up again using geothermal energy, resulting in a cycle with a neutral energy balance.

www.grotegut.de

Photos:
Andrea Dingeldein
www.andreadingeldein.de

(Published in CUBE Cologne Bonn 03|24)