Hoppenrade is located in the Löwenberger Land, about 50 km north of Berlin. The area is characterized by an undeveloped flat landscape. The area is largely used for agricultural purposes. There are smaller villages with predominantly single-family houses. A dwelling-house for a woman is to be built on a plot on the southern Dorfrand Hoppenrades. On the west side the property is connected to a public path. On the north is the loose village development with smaller houses. To the east and south the plot goes seamlessly and unprotected into the expanse of the adjacent flat landscape.
The context offered only few hints, so it was tried to use everything that could still have some meaning for the place. Thus, it was quickly decided that the landscape is over-interpreted as a wilderness, and the barn should decisively determine the design. Therefore the new house was built around the stable to protect the stable. A roof covers the old building as well as the new areas such as terraces, carport and a free-standing cube, with storage, pantry and laundry room. The new building extends 23m into the depth of the property and is oriented with the long side south to the landscape. The floor of the new house is raised by 1.3m. This creates a distance between the House and the harsh landscape, which should not to be cultivated. The raised floor plate and the roof are held by a light wooden construction.
The radically open construction, which does not differ from the phase of construktion and consistently corresponds to the logic of the static, lends the house narrative properties. The glass façade enclosing the warm area can therefore be modulated free of the construction, following a contextual ideal. It is in contrast to the logic of the support system and to the form of the floor plate and the roof. This interplay creates a unique spatial structure which superimposes the interior and the exterior and creates a variety of paths and views in the small house. The roof covers a large number of zones, which are perceived as different threshold spaces during the walking through the house. The old walls surround the central living space.
All other uses are oriented around the old building. While the brick walls convey weight and comfort, the dematerialized new additions means openness, transparency and lightness. A bed and a coat rack on castors, as well as light plywood furniture in the kitchen and sanitary area, gives the impression of being able to be removed at any time. The actual floor space, the pantry and laundry room are located in the cube, accessible only by the terrace. You have to get out of the warm area, but stay under the roof. Although the warm area covers only 94m², the small low-budget house has a much bigger effect, as the boundary of the room with the edges of the cantilevered floor and roof panel is perceived.
In the warmer seasons, the living area can be extended by opening large sliding doors to the terraces. Then the house has 140m² of living space. When trying to define the spatial boundaries of the house, the house always effects differently, depending on the location of the view. Sometimes it is the construction, sometimes floor and roof plate, sometimes the adjusted body and sometimes the glass facade, which represent the spatial logic of the house.
