Haus H // 42
Build on! Spaces in between: What can they achieve?
How can we make our buildings fit for the future?
The inner-city housing estates of the 1960s offer space for density in their open structure. How can we densify these structures in a sensitive and compatible way? What does it take to respond to different living situations and forms in the short, medium and long term? What influence do usability, robustness and the flexibility implied therein have on the durability of our existing buildings? What can the DNA of a house do; how can we reprogram or supplement it to create possibilities? As is often the case, the key lies in the structure itself — in its capacity for change, reinterpretation, and renewal.
With these questions in mind, the charming and sparsely built house in Aachen had to be examined with regard to its development potential. With the aim of transforming it into an adaptive-flexible building structure that is equipped for “aging”, the decision was made not to overhaul the existing building, but to continue thinking about the abundant space towards the neighbor. The existing building is in excellent condition, but the shrinking space requirements with age cannot be sensibly rearranged. Due to the hillside location, the existing building is not barrier-free. Partial external use or multi-generational living: Not conceivable.
The extension as an extrusion of the existing cubature connects to the street level at ground level via a footbridge. This creates a second, barrier-free entrance that enables a variety of usage scenarios. The building can now be divided horizontally and/or vertically. It offers space for different users or for communal living for generations. The extension currently serves as a studio, but is also a self-sufficient residential unit.
The building is made of timber. A simple grid structure measuring 8 x 7 meters raises the new usage unit one storey above the garden level. Street and upper floor levels are served simultaneously. The structure is wrapped in a rear-ventilated cladding made of corrugated aluminum. The existing aplliances take on the new building without extensions. The view from the interior is directed southwards into the city valley, with light coming from the north.
A room is formed underneath. It is there, almost 4 meters high and it is cold - not heated and not insulated. A garden room! And it turns out that this “simple” space becomes a new place to live. It connects existing, new and nature in a modest way.
The interplay of open, openable and closed façades creates differentiated outdoor spaces and connections of varying character. These simple spaces offer added value, they expand the nucleus with valuable living space between old and new, between cold and warm, between standard and rational. They create quality of life.
