Description
Although conventional at first glance, the volume of this simple house reveals a surprising interior life: a house-within-a-house concept in which two different tenants occupy rooms that are in part stacked one above the other and in part facing each other, all connected via open stairs that are dedicated for the exclusive use of each tenant. The shared atrium, which rises across all three levels and in which the single-loaded stairs run past one another in a crisscross pattern, also serves as a space where the residents will naturally encounter one another, to stay awhile and socialize without restraint. Both units function in a fully autonomous manner.
On the ground floor with its shared entrance, the two units unfold parallel to the stairs; this is where kitchen and living areas are located as well as separate spaces for other uses. On the upper levels, the stairs lead to the private rooms, now arranged crosswise to the stairs: the rooms for each unit alternate, lying first on one side and then on the other, with the result that both tenants benefit from all orientations. The atrium also serves as an “energy garden,” which provides passive solar energy for the entire building.
Exterior view
Interior view
Drawings
Floor plan diagram, scale 1:500
Site plan
Ground floor with access in lengthwise orientated hall, common and individual living areas, scale 1:200
2nd floor with access in crosswise orientated hall, bedrooms, and bathrooms, scale 1:200
Attic story with one private room each, scale 1:200
Cross section, scale 1:500
Longitudinal section, scale 1:500
Originally published in: Oliver Heckmann, Friederike Schneider (eds.), Floor Plan Manual Housing, fourth revised and expanded edition, Birkhäuser, 2011.