This family home reveals its character through a simple architectural design that reflects its inner life, seasonal context, lighting, and surrounding environment. The concept clearly separates private bedrooms from expansive open spaces intended for everyday family activities.
All private rooms are artistically arranged as wooden cube sculptures. Between these cubes, open spaces extend both horizontally and vertically, channeling light deep into the house—even during winter—and framing stunning views from multiple vantage points, encompassing the garden, treetops, and the lake beyond.
The house’s layout and open zoning promote a harmonious balance between privacy and communal living. Residents can easily retreat or engage in shared spaces as desired. Set within a natural environment, the generous ceiling heights and abundant sunlight combine with authentic materials to create a pleasant atmosphere and comfortable indoor climate.
The fan-shaped roof design complements the sloping terrain, adding variety to the interior spaces. The exterior walls feature spatial sculptures with a rhythmic pattern of openings and closures. Wooden slats envelop the cubes, while windows are concealed behind translucent folding shutters that can be opened to reveal unobstructed views.
On the first floor, large windows can be fully retracted into wall pockets, allowing the kitchen to seamlessly open up to the outdoors.
Using wood as a renewable material helps reduce the reliance on non-renewable primary energy and lowers carbon dioxide emissions during construction. Beyond its role as a carbon sink, wood construction allows for extensive off-site prefabrication, resulting in shorter assembly times and less transportation on-site compared to traditional building methods.
Selecting durable, high-quality materials extends the building’s lifespan. Additionally, the design allows for the separation of building components, making maintenance easier and enabling dismantling for material recovery, maximizing reuse and recycling opportunities.
Project Drawings
△ Base schematic diagram
△ First floor plan
△ Second floor plan
△ Section diagram
Project Information
Architect: Appels Architekten
Project Year: 2022
Photographer: Florian Holzherr
Structural Engineer: merz kley partner GmbH
Location: Germany
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up