The house constructed by DIA – Dittel Architekten blends into the context of a historical country estate dating from the Middle Ages. The listed property is located in a rural setting in South Germany, which is characterized by natural areas and agricultural land.
The new building is positioned orthogonally to the historical barn and to the road on the estate, so that it fits in with the alignment of the existing courtyard buildings. The architects also took into account the natural topography and the avenue driveway leading into the estate, which also stands within this geometric context.
Constructed as an independent modern building, the new structure also respects the traditional architectural language of the surrounding buildings. Consideration was explicitly given to the homogeneity between old and new. This dialogue manifests itself in the horizontal division of the building structure, which is emphasized both by a difference in materials and a shadow gap. Brightly plastered, the modern base level forms the foundation for the wooden cube placed upon it, whose lamellar structure refers in modern translation to the neighboring barn.
Thanks to the seamless integration of the folding shutters into the wooden lagging and the gables roof structure without eaves, the building presents itself as a modern, peaceful and closed monolith. In the twilight the semi-transparent lamellar structure of the shutters creates an atmospheric lighting mood and on hot days it supports the pleasant indoor climate without completely darkening the interior.
The open floor plan ensures a bright, friendly living situation that opens up to the terrace flanking the building on two sides to the west and north. Panoramic windows provide an unobstructed view of the surrounding landscape, so that outside and inside, nature and living fluidly merge with one another.
DITTEL ARCHITEKTEN GMBH, www.di-a.de
Fotograf: Martin Baitinger, www.martinbaitinger.net, DITTEL ARCHITEKTEN GMBH
