The initial concept was to redesign the main house, occupied by the grandmother, so that it could be used mutually by the family; but this idea was rejected in order not to impair the quality of the existing structure by conversion measures. A further option - to extend an existing barn - came to naught because of the unsuitability of the building fabric. The new construction complements the "Streckhof" on the garden side, respecting the neighbouring buildings in its spacing and alignment and entering into a spatial dialogue with the refurbished barn nearby, where the clients operate a schnapps distillery and invite visitors to regular tastings.
The design principle of the new dwelling house makes reference to local forms of building construction: the two 50 cm gable walls consist of vertically cored brickwork, rendered externally with unpigmented lime cement and plastered internally with lime clay. The solid laminated timber walls on the upper floor and roof level are clad with native silver fir, and the flush sliding elements to the long facades are of the same material. Their proportions are based on those of the timber gates to the existing buildings. In a closed state, they transform the house into a compact volume. Folded aside, they free the view to a climatic buffer zone with balconies on the upper level and small terraces on the ground floor. The entire living space can be opened generously to the garden by means of room-height glazed sliding-folding elements. During the warmer summer months, the openings in both faces ensure natural cross-ventilation. A single-flight staircase flanked by two walls articulates the open design of the ground floor into a living and dining realm as well as providing access to the private bedrooms and a gable-height lounge area. A peripheral balustrade integrates bookshelves in the longitudinal direction and a small workplace in the lateral direction. Finally, a steel ladder leads up to an ample loft, which is also used as a yoga space. From here, one has an extensive view over the landscape.
The schnapps distillery is in the form of a simple cube of black-scumbled softwood built into the existing barn. No insulation was used here, in order to retain a view of the high-quality craftsmanship of the rafter roof. At a more than seven-metre-long wooden table, the products of the house can be tasted and celebrations held: the doors and gates of the "Streckhof" are then opened wide to create inviting visual axes and lines of access between the street and the garden.
