Stephan Fuchs and Thomas Wacker build houses it is intended to arouse a certain sense of life among its inhabitants: satisfied serenity. Whether it is the villa on the outskirts or a holiday residence, whether the award winning architect duo from Stuttgart is building in Berlin or in Berne, in the vineyards along the Neckar or in Cape Town with a view of the sea – the declared aim of its architecture and its characteristic feature is precisely this atmosphere of relaxation. Are houses that translate the success of their residents into everyday life.
The openness to the environment, proximity to nature, clarity and light. To that, honesty in the material and uncompromising perfection to the last detail: The furniture, the facilities, if it is to be, even the art on the walls. The architects are confess to the aesthetics and tradition a noble, classical modernity – but only in a constant dialogue can spaces and perspectives succeed, in which generosity and security keep each other’s balance. At the end, the client sits in a comfortable armchair, stands in an elegant established kitchen, receives friends to eat, looks over a beautifully landscaped garden and says: My house!
Stephan Fuchs and Thomas Wacker build houses it is intended to arouse a certain sense of life among its inhabitants: satisfied serenity. Whether it is the villa on the outskirts or a holiday residence, whether the award winning architect duo from Stuttgart is building in Berlin or in Berne, in the vineyards along the Neckar or in Cape Town with a view of the sea – the declared aim of its architecture and its characteristic feature is precisely this atmosphere of relaxation. Are houses that translate the success of their residents into everyday life.
The openness to the environment, proximity to nature, clarity and light. To that, honesty in the material and uncompromising perfection to the last detail: The furniture, the facilities, if it is to be, even the art on the walls. The architects are confess to the aesthetics and tradition a noble, classical modernity – but only in a constant dialogue can spaces and perspectives succeed, in which generosity and security keep each other’s balance. At the end, the client sits in a comfortable armchair, stands in an elegant established kitchen, receives friends to eat, looks over a beautifully landscaped garden and says: My house!
Within the framework of a heterogeneous villa construction and restrictive site occupancy indexes and floor space ratios in the south of Munich, “Haus H” completely exploits all parameters and radiates friendliness to its surroundings.
The L-shaped site develops generously as a free floor plan in the spirit of the classical villa tradition from the north-east as a frame, but nevertheless as a gesture of openness around the site and its garden. In the process, the villa follows the guiding theme of “stacked cubes”, playing freely with a Jura-clad ground floor and brightly plastered offset units in the upper floor.
The creative design decisions always follow the dialectic principles “structure versus area”, “open versus closed”, “heavy versus light”, “nature versus artefact”, “few openings to north and east versus generous glazing to south and west” etc.…
Street access to the house entrance takes the form of a path along a narrow Pond.
All design elements have a meaningful function:
The sleeping quarters, “offset” to the south with a large overhang, assume the task of an entrance canopy. The slanting incisions and openings elevate the plastic-sculptural building shape and automatically provide a structural solar protection without additional shadowing measures.
The carefully reduced detail, characterised by a minimum of materials, is continued in the interior. Bronze-finished brass for gates and doors create “significance” in their interaction with natural stone and plaster.
Titus Bernhard has been active nationally and internationally since 1995 with his spectacular architectural projects. A concentration on the essential and a minimalistic architectural language distinguish all the work of his office, combined with the highest standards of manual and aesthetic qualities. His architecture develops from classical modernism to an autonomous phenomenological architectural language. “Haus 9×9” attracted enormous attention from areas far outside the architecture world, just as his more recent “Haus M” and “Haus 11×11”. Among his awards: the Erich-Schelling Medal 2006, the BDA Prize in Bavaria 2006, best architects awards 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, as well as exhibitions at AEDES in Berlin, 2004 and 2013, Architekturgalerie Munich and the galerie d’architecture in Paris, plus two appearances at the Biennale in Venice. Titus Bernhard belongs to the young avant-garde in Germany. From 2005 to 2007, he was visiting professor for design and construction at the Constance University of Applied Sciences (HTWG Konstanz).
CONTACT
Titus Bernhard Architekten
Provinostraße 52
Martinipark – Gebäude B2
D – 86153 Augsburg
Fon +49 821 599 605-0
Fax +49 821 599 605-10 info@bernhardarchitekten.com
Münster is a must for those visiting Germany’s Westphalia region. Whether traveling for work or pleasure – from a weekend escape to a business retreat – the 4-star Mauritzhof Hotel is the perfect choice for any occasion. Look forward to one of the most exceptional design hotels in the heart of the city. Our location on Münster’s green promenade means you’re close to it all, whilst your mind stays serene.
Interior & Experience concept: Michael SchickingerLAMBS AND LIONS
Interior design and Styling: Michael Schickinger and Kathrin Bade in collaboration with architect Kresings
Artdirection Branding: Stefan Grüner / LAMBS AND LIONS
Photography: Steve Herud & Georg Roske
Artdirection: Michael Schickinger & Stefan Grüner
Styling: Kathrin Bade
All images courtesy of LAMBS AND LIONS
LAMBS AND LIONS
ARTDIRECTION BY MICHAEL SCHICKINGER
Based in Berlin, he is the founder & creative director of Lambs & Lions, a multidisciplinary design agency, developing ideas and a vision to create holistic concepts for premium and luxury products and experiences. With a human centric and integrated approach, Michael takes responsibility from an initial idea to driving the project and teams for the final goals. His services combine creative direction, brand identity, product design, interior architecture and design, and supervision of property development.
With more than 20 years experience in the lifestyle and hospitality industry, he is the creative director of Design Hotels™ for over ten years. Since he started his own business with Lambs and Lions in 2009, he has been crucially involved in many strategic branding exercises, focusing mainly on various film and photo projects with his signature style for clients such as Kuoni Travel AG and Helvetic Tours, and Thomas Cook. His passion for the niche hospitality industry continued in projects like San Giorgio Hotel Mykonos and Scorpios Mykonos.
CONTACT
LAMBS AND LIONS GMBH & CO.KG
TORSTR. 86
10119 BERLIN/MITTE
PHONE NRS
Michael Schickinger / Creative Director: +49 151 24156819
Stefan Grüner / Art Director: +49 171 3604140
Annabell Kutucu / Interior Design & Styling: +49 151 42603988
Bruno Erpicum was the architect entrusted with designing this warehouse conversion. It is now the home of a couple with a passion for architecture who were keen to make one of Düsseldorf’s rare ruins their own. The reconversion was closely overseen by the administrative authorities, since this old factory in the city centre miraculously avoided damage during the many bombings of World War II.
Across from the coachman’s passageway are some garages that stand in front of the entrance court. The court is dotted with screens that flank the entrance and seclude off the “day patio”. The history of the city is reflected in the glass panels, reminding you of the building’s heritage. A facade made entirely of glass stands completely independently of the old structures, showing off their immense scale.
The building is now protected against the elements and complies with energy performance requirements. The study opens boldly onto the garage and gym. The gloss painted furniture designed by architect Bruno Erpicum reflects the structural elements. A vast white space devoid of any accessories houses the sleeping accommodation in the conversion; the rotating door appears to be floating in the air. An enormous living room is arranged between the pilasters that are displayed with pride. The artist’s design highlights the existing brickwork that supports the flagstone roof; here again the wear inflicted over time is openly displayed. The architecture unpretentiously magnifies the materials.
The kitchen is arranged in the exterior deambulatory. The bedroom is housed in a “white box” that has been perfected with the utmost care. It is encircled by a “night patio” illuminated using zenithal light that sweeps across the surrounding brickwork. The light itself becomes a material, rebounding off the objects it touches and reminding us of the building’s history. The walls of the bedroom are perfectly smooth, whereas the bathroom is surrounded by rough pilasters (p. 106-107). A flow of natural light is ensured by the night patio, a space created by the removal of the roof around the edge of the bedroom. Pieces of raw concrete were used to create the bath, shower and washbasin. The starry ceiling over the Turkish bath completes the composition.
AABE (Atelier d’Architecture Bruno Erpicum & Partners)
PLAN
AABE (Atelier d’Architecture Bruno Erpicum & Partners)
Basement: fitness and wellness area with sauna and dipping tank
Ground floor: large, open space – living room with fireplace
Upper floor: private areas with guestrooms and three baths
Scope of services:
BERLINRODEO
Design, execution, detail
Colour and material planning
Lighting design
Construction
Furnishing
INTERIOR DESIGN FOR THE BOLD
BERLINRODEO breaks the rules. Fusing juxtaposing interior styles into striking yet harmonious compositions, BERLINRODEO’s approach to interiors is unconventional, bold and beautiful.
CONTACT
BERLINRODEO
interior concepts GmbH
Kadiner Straße 20a
10243 Berlin
Email: ranch@berlinrodeo.com
Phone: +49 (0) 30 280 478 15
On a gently sloping corner lot in a grown residential area in Frankfurt, Germany, a house was to be designed, offering the owners both a maximum of privacy as well as a high degree of openness. The clients described their dream of the desired living environment as “Los Angeles loft feeling” coupled with the desire for a maximum room experience.
On this background a radical and uncompromising game between opening and closing was generated. The minimalist building shows a consequent closed unity towards the street, to which it only opens through the front door and the garage. It therefore protects and shelters the privacy of the owners. On the other hand openness and transparency characterise the building in direction of the garden. A barrier-free 18 m long high-end glass façade reveals the view into nature and the pool.
The pool is equipped with solar technology and additionally connected via heat exchanger to the air-water-heat pump of the building services. Therefore it can be heated and used all year long. Integrated in the floor plan the pool is directly adjacent to the bedroom and the spa area and thus interlocks the inside and outside. Beyond that the light reflections on walls and ceilings are a wonderful design feature.
The ground floor’s timber construction serves as a carbon storage and thus contributes to climate protection. The renewable building material, grown in local forests, creates well-being thanks to outstanding biological building benefits. Wood is naturally heat-insulating, ensures a healthy and comfortable living environment and also shows itself as a sustainable raw material in modern
Visitors enter the building, which appears as a closed cube on the outside, on the ground floor and immediately sense the stunning architecture which will be revealed to them a few moments later. You are welcomed in a foyer showing a water-atrium, a light channel open to the sky, equipped with a water basin on the ground. The here presented street art graffiti forms a counterpoint to the purist interior design, which is only highlighted by a few high class pieces of furniture.
From there you continue into a wide-ranging loft area, which is home to dining and cooking. It offers a beautiful view of the garden and pool thanks to the imposing glass front. Up to 18 m² large barrier free panoramic sliding windows were integrated into the facade. The spacious loft feeling is furthermore underlined by the concrete floor extending to the terraces. It shows the purist style of living, whose ambience is merely enhanced by a few, quality furniture pieces: a sofa in the corner, a white table, selected works of art
Because of different building regulations, the desire of the owners for a house with a flat roof could only be satisfied using a visual aid – a sunken hipped roof. By increasing the attic walls the visual impression of a cubic flat roof is given.
Images: Julia Erdmann, Daniel König, Michael Conrads
FACEBOOK HAMBURG
by Stephen Williams Associates
Hacking is one of the basic ideas of Facebook. It doesn’t only mean to break into computers, but to take action in a fresh and creative mode to improve an existing system. In relation to facebook’s German headquarters, this could look like a weird detail on the door frame, unusual elements taken out of context on the carpet or a kiosk as the centre of the office. It is a simple, but clever action that modifies the whole working field into a playful and stimulating area. The employees can customize the walls with texts or drawings. The team sits closely together to communicate and when elsewhere have a 360° panoramic view all over the city. This panorama was the main inspiration for the materials: the rough steel refers to the containers and ships in the harbour. The colours and patterns of the furniture are influenced by flags and maritime signals from sailing. The outside becomes the inside and objects modulate the space. Even the analogue architecture of Facebook is a sign of their digital aim to »make the world more open and connected«.
SPECIAL FEATURE: Steel staircase over 3 floors connecting the teams.
STEPHEN WILLIAMS ASSOCIATES
CONTACT
Admiralitätstraße 71
D – 20459 Hamburg
Telefon +49 (0) 40-8793340 0
Telefax +49 (0) 40-8793340 20
mail@stephenwilliams.com
Villa K, located in Thüringen, is the first German project for Paul de Ruiter Architects. The energy neutral villa, discrete and integrated in the natural environment, strongly reflects the wishes of the client and adheres to minimalist principles. The result is a straightforward, innovative residence built from only glass, steel and concrete.
Rooms with a view
The sustainable house is placed facing south in consideration of the amazing views as well as the path of sunlight to maximize efficiency. A glass façade, stretching from roof to floor, demarcates the living areas. The glass façade, without any disruptions such as windows or outdoor sun blinds, reflects nothing but the air and offers amazing views over the valley. Around the living area a U-shaped terrace is constructed. A pool intersects the interior of the house while extending towards the southern edge, which makes it seem to float above the hill.
The addition of a lifting platform across the pool makes the terrace visually appear to continue. This platform can be pulled up when deciding to go for a swim. Around the terrace a garden is arranged with vegetable crops and fruit trees.
Unity with the mountain scenery
The entrance, technical areas, pantry, hunting room and garage with room for six cars are located on the north side, moved into the slope of the mountain. The complete roof structure of the villa is covered with moss and sedum, alternated with solar cells, which reduces the cooling load.
Energy neutral because of its location
A climatologically interesting and sustainable situation is created through the orientation towards the south and by placing a large part of the house into the mountain slope. The south side receives large amounts of sunlight and warmth, while the ‘subterranean’ part of the house contains cold air. A heat exchanger implemented in the villa collects this warm and cold air and transports it to the heat pump. The heat pump stores cold air to cool in the summer and saves warm air to heat the house during winter times. This system is connected to a cooling ceiling and underfloor heating. A delicate and completely computerized computer system steers these stainable heating and cooling systems.
Paul de Ruiter is an architect, entrepreneur, innovator and inspirator known for his sustainable, game changing architecture. De Ruiter has been contributing to the national and international debate about sustainability, CO2-neutral design and building certification methods. He is a frequently asked lecturer internationally, writes articles for professional journals and teaches at the Dutch Technical Universities.
De Ruiter completed his studies at the Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands) in 1990, where he started his doctoral dissertation “The Chameleon Skin” in 1992. In his PhD research he argues that buildings should produce rather than consume energy. Before founding his own Amsterdam-based office in 1994 he worked at leading architectural offices in Canada, Australia and the Netherlands.
Sustainable design is part of Paul de Ruiter’s DNA. His buildings are designed to allow the façades to respond intelligently to sunlight, enabling to maximize energy gain and storage. This is what gives his architecture its unique, recognizable and innovative appeal. Many of these climate façades are developed by himself, as his motto is ‘practice what you preach’. Moreover, De Ruiter believes architecture should not only generate energy in technical terms, but also in terms of the human factor. Values like happiness and inspiration combined with measurable factors such as daylight optimization to make intelligent, sustainable buildings.
A renowned Interior Designer and Stylist based in Berlin, she has been styling and decorating private luxury homes for more than 10 years. Since she set up her own business in 2010, with a focus on hospitality and private residences, she has raised great interest with her work of various international hospitality projects, like the Papaya Playa Project in Tulum, Mexiko, the San Giorgio Hotel Mykonos, Greece, both in collaboration with Design Hotels™, and the Nomads Apt. in Berlin, an alternative urban concept.
ARTDIRECTION BY MICHAEL SCHICKINGER
