The project is located in the listed historical district “Nowawes” in Potsdam-Babelsberg, a quarter that was created by the Prussian King Friedrich II starting in the middle of the 18th century. The aim was to attract Bohemian craftsmen, especially weavers and spinners. Simple cheap and functional houses were built, each with its own garden for self-sufficiency. These weavers' houses were single-storey with a gable roof, often built directly next to each other. Most of them had a small outbuilding in the courtyard.
Our task was to renovate and expand the old weaver's house and outbuilding while fulfilling all strict regulations of historic preservation. We tidied up the floor plan with a clear spatial structure carved out of the many small rooms. The entrance and side rooms now face the street, and the living areas face the south towards the garden.
The outbuilding is now connected to the house via two new wooden extensions. The extensions with widely projecting flat roofs, visible plywood construction and large-format windows contrast with the plastered masonry and tiled roofs of the historic buildings.
The existing building technology was completely renewed and brought up to date. A geothermal heat pump with three vertical probes supplies the house with heating energy. The project received state funding for the energy-efficient renovation.
