House Extension in Remscheid

The intensively used garden of this timber-framed house was accessible only via an internal staircase in the basement plinth storey. The client, who lives on the ground floor, required an enlarged living area with a more immediate link to the garden. Since a later shared use of the upper floor is foreseen, an uncomplicated change of functions was necessary. The new structure has the same cross-section as the existing extension added in the 1950s. The supporting structure consists of a raised framework of hollow steel sections mounted on industrial rollers in channel-section tracks. The entire element can be rolled aside during the summer months to create an open terrace area at ground floor level. The platform consists of metal gratings through which light can penetrate to the ground below. The railings can be quickly dismounted, facilitating a swift roll-back of the extension in winter. Even when the new structure is in its winter position, a gap is left between the two extensions for the new staircase that leads down from the ground floor of the main part of the house to the garden. The new structure is clad externally with transparent, rigid corrugated PVC panels. The inner skin of the wall is in a simple, insulated timber frame construction with plywood on both faces and nylon-reinforced reflective sheeting on the outside to prevent overheating of the interior. The electrical installation is visibly housed in the cavity behind the transparent corrugated panels.