Two young families were looking for a place to live in their hometown during times of constantly rising property and real estate prices. Moving to the surrounding area for cost reasons was to be avoided if possible, as living in a metropolitan area with short distances, public transport and distances suitable for bicycles corresponded to their beliefs and their everyday life.
After some time searching, they were able to purchase a property on the outskirts of the city with an existing building from the 1960s. The building structure was in need of renovation and consisted of a two-story residential building with basement and a classic floor-by-floor separation of apartments with separated staircase, as well as single-story extensions for a garage and a shop.
The collaboration with the architects began after the property was acquired. The aim was to create two residential units that were as equivalent as possible or at least two residential units that, overall, could each have equivalent qualities. Next to the aim of building with wood and other ecological building materials, cost-effectiveness of the renovation measures was required. Additionally, space was needed for the many different bicycles (cargo bikes, trailers, etc.) and the area of sealed open spaces should be minimized as much as possible for green life to take place in the garden.
The design subsequently envisaged the removal of the garage and local supplier extensions in the north of the house, thus making it possible to create a spacious forecourt for arriving with bicycles and cars. In addition, a meeting and lounge area was provided here in form of a terrace, which acts as a threshold space between public (street/city) and private (residential unit).
Subsequently, the two residential units were not stacked vertically, but rather arranged horizontally next to each other and the existing, centrally located load-bearing wall was used as an apartment partition. So -similar to a semi-detached house - two house halves were created with ground floor and first floor, while one residential unit was on the east side and the other on the west side. In addition, the cold roof structure of the existing building was removed, and the apartment partition wall was rotated by 90°. The east-facing apartment received the southern half of the attic as compensation, while the west-facing apartment still received the northern half of the attic.
In the north and south, a shelf-like terrace structure was built across the entire width of the building and all floors, giving the residential units equal parts of different, but overall equivalent qualities of open space. This “patio shelf” in turn acts as a threshold between indoor and outdoor space.
The existing, solid external walls were thermally renovated by installing a wooden frame construction with cellulose insulation and vertical larch cladding. New wooden windows were installed; Wooden sliding shutters on the outside provide sun and privacy protection. All floor structures were replaced and underfloor heating with ecological drywall elements was installed. The geothermal energy was used through deep drilling in combination with a PV system, thus ensuring a sustainable energy supply.
