Richildenstreet 9

Clear form and contemporary solution(s)

Task:

The building is part of a group of terraced houses with historic two- and three-storey buildings with bay windows and gables, by Heilmann and Littmann. The building was built around 1910, and was in dismal condition after decades of neglect; carelessly installed plastic windows and plastic frames, paired with carpet or vinyl floors on the historical parquet and external insulation on historical plaster, only gave a hint to the once elegant original structure of the house .

In order to restore the house to its former glory, the task was taken on to carry out a monument-appropriate, while economically sensitive to design an extension that would increase the quality of life without spoiling the overall appearance of the monument.

This balancing act between modern requirements for inner-city living spaces and an extension, which had to be formulated as an abstract volume and still have an architectural connection between the old and new buildings, required a certain amount of creativity and a solution-oriented approach.

The extension as a contemporary and independent solution within the context:

It was important to the authorities, that the extension appear as an independent cube in order to clearly stand out from the main building. For this reason, the existing building was no touched, nor were the materials copied or reused. However a contemporary solution was found through the clear design language of the screening elements, which integrate harmoniously into the surrounding buildings, exhibiting restraint and character simultaneously. With the horizontal slats, we create a diaphanous construction, which does not allow for articulation of individual stories from an exterior perspective, ensuring an abstract appearance while still maintaining functional properties:

The depth and height of the slats was selected in such a way that visibility is minimized and the view is retained; from a bird’s-eye view, the view does not reach into the extension (thus preventing neighbors from seeing in). At eye level (in your own garden or in the extension itself) you can see through the slats, which makes the extension appear transparent, airy and light.