Type: Residential
Location: Berlin – DE
Project Year: 2020

Design Lead: A. Antonov, A.Eid
Status: Built
Phases: LPH 1- LPH 5

Client: Private
Photographer: Bullahuth
Collaborators: Breitmaier Architekten
Dipl.-Ing. W. Meyerdrees

In 2019 we were offered the task to propose an extension design to a prefab single-family house that was built around the 80’s. The main goal was to repurpose the house in order to accomodate 2 families: The parents and the newly-wed daughter along with her partner. Working with 2 clients at the same time, we tried to recognize the required addition to enrich their daily life and react to their different needs. This doesn't only mean jotting down what rooms can be added or drawn. It also entails what kind of experience is preferable to each family. 50 squared meters can be a point of a private retreat after a long day, and it can also be the center of interaction and livelihood!

Throughout the initial sketches for the volume, we tackled a few given challenges like the existing 2.5 m ceiling hight in the ground floor. Main factors studied were the sun course and direction, as we aimed to improve the natural light even after the extension was added. The existing house had some striking contrasts and prominent clear-cut lines. Seeking a harmonious transition from old to new, we developed the fassade as a younger sibling of the same family. Adopting the reliefs and lines of the old house, rescaled and converted, the extension marks not only a spacial addition, but also a youthful continuation of familiar patterns.

Sometimes, dreamy wishes and challenging problems can be interweaved into a spectacular solution. In this case: an open-dining podest (mentioned in early meetings) and lack of sunlight lead to lifting the dining room and sloping the ceiling under it towards a huge window, checking both points with one slight change!