APARTMENT RENOVATION WITHIN A HERITAGE-PROTECTED MUNICIPAL HOUSING COMPLEX. 

Located in Graz, this apartment forms part of a multi-phase municipal housing ensemble built between 1929 and 1931. Designed in the spirit of Neue Sachlichkeit, the building reflects the functional clarity and social ideals of interwar modernism: restrained horizontal façade articulation, balconies opening toward a green inner courtyard, and a clear, rational architectural language. Today, the building is protected as a listed heritage structure.

The existing apartment typology is characteristic of historic Altbau dwellings of this period, defined by generous ceiling heights, large living spaces, and comparatively small service rooms. Even prior to renovation, the apartment was used in a way that emphasized the kitchen as a social center – a place of gathering, hospitality, and shared daily rituals. This inherent quality became the conceptual starting point for the redesign.

Without altering the position of the existing wet areas, the apartment was completely reorganized into two clearly defined zones. A generous entrance space establishes a welcoming atmosphere, accommodating arrival, cooking, and dining as an open, connected sequence of spaces. This public, communicative zone is set in deliberate contrast to the more private rooms of the apartment, which retreat into calmer, more introverted atmospheres.

The intervention introduces a clear dialogue between old and new. The newly added elements are articulated through a restrained, minimalist palette of surfaces and materials, allowing them to stand in conscious contrast to the warmth and material richness of the historic fabric. Existing herringbone parquet floors and large double-leaf doors remain intact, anchoring the apartment in its original character while framing contemporary spatial insertions.

At the center of the layout, a compact bathroom volume is conceived as a spatial anchor. This “bath box” defines and organizes the surrounding functions: the entrance area with wardrobe and a small sauna, as well as the generous kitchen with cooking island and dining area. Rather than dissolving into the background, the volume is deliberately emphasized as a defining architectural element.

A key feature of this central space is the wallcovering from the Renaturation Collection, developed through a collaboration between 13&9 Design, Fractals Research and Momentum Textiles & Wallcovering, which is applied to the bath box, and draws on research-based design principles. Rooted in scientific research on fractal geometry, the collection translates natural patterns into architectural surfaces. Fractals – self-repeating patterns found throughout nature – have been scientifically proven to boost cognitive performance and significantly reduce stress.

The selected motif, Fractal Bark, interprets the vertical texture of tree trunks as a layered, hand-drawn pattern. From a distance, it reads as a subtle vertical structure; up close, it reveals depth and complexity. Integrated into the heart of the apartment, the wallcovering enriches the spatial experience not through decoration but through environmental atmosphere–, reinforcing the project’s aim to create a contemporary living environment that is both socially engaging and sensorially restorative.