New construction of a residential house for a family of 6 in Schlachtensee on a plot of land that is highly regulated by building codes; An essential aspect of the design planning is leveraging the existing potentials as much as possible instead of perceiving them as a restriction, to develop a design that is as free as possible within the rigid framework conditions.

 

The building authorities’ requirement to build a one-storey extension to the neighbor ("terraced house"), perceived as a fault by competitors for the sought-after plot, becomes a stroke of luck here with regard to the internal organisation and allows a very unusual floor plan for a single-family house: a large, loft-like 11x11m free-flow area on the first floor, with the floor structure being kept open and accessible as a large common lounge zone for the family except for some supports and non-storey-high fixtures, adaptable to different scenarios by sliding elements (dining/living, work) and, among other things, divided into different zones by a ceiling jump with integrated seating.

 

The house has a basement, the children's level on the upper floor contains a common area with terrace and retreats to four equal children's rooms with large glass panels / French balconies and “sitters” to accommodate the children’s desire to sit in these windows. The parents have their own floor in the roof level with a sauna and a work area for home-office, as a retreat with a large roof terrace. Due to the requirement of a "stacked storey" from the development plan, only 2/3 of the area may be built on here, however, design-wise problematically and unsensible recesses on the cubic structure can be avoided in this way.