UNTER DEM DACH
Built in 1893, the building owes its name, “Wolfsschlucht“, to the former inn that was once located here. Although the main floors of the building were progressively adapted into residential apartments, the roof level was preserved in its original built form. After careful consideration, it was deemed feasible that the historic building offered ample space under its roof for the addition of two apartments.
Design here sought to maintain the experience of one emerging into an historic roof space with its subtle light, visible timber framework, and structural message.
Layout based on structural system.
The original timber framework provided a logical and robust spatial layout: a central nave, into which one enters, and running parallel to the nave on both sides, a sequence of niches defined by the transverse framework. In this array, a hierarchal structure of central and peripheral purposes for use articulates itself.
What one sees, is what supports.
The “stehende Dachstuhl“ (standing roof truss) serves not only to stiffen the roof structure in the longitudinal and transverse directions, but also functioned as a clever and practical aid when erecting such historical roof structures by hand. The structural dynamics with its embedded craftsmanship were to remain visible. Thus, all new elements are meticulously placed behind or offset to the existing timber framework.
Wood, as a vital material, in the foreground.
The new in the background, as quietly as possible.
In both apartments, the nave has been preserved as an open space; serving as a living space within an embedded patio. With gable windows that can fully open 180°, the patios are where all rooms located on both sides of the nave converge together. The sculptural center of each patio is formed by the existing freestanding chimneys that extend their way up through the timber framework towards the ridge of the pitched roof and a prefabricated stair/wardrobe joinery element located in the larger apartment. A ridge skylight oriented towards the north allows diffused natural light to enter each patio space while also providing ventilation to prevent heat build-up during the summer months.
The dark in-situ cast screed is very sensitive to the changing light conditions throughout the day: direct sunlight is reflected, indirect light is absorbed.
The base of each patio consists of a dark, in-situ cast screed that meanders its way seamlessly through to the adjacent rooms along the periphery. Each room is an alcove for individual usage: using the 180° opening doors that protrude from the wall surface to announce their presence to the central living space, the alcoves are either integrated or separated from the central patio according to user needs. Like spatial layers gathered around a core, the alcoves, become varying spatial extensions of the central patios.
From the near pitch black floor surface of the patios, one ascends via the narrow stair in the larger apartment / and on the old chimney sweeper‘s ladder in the smaller apartment, onto small planked decks above the collar beams, at the very top, directly under the roof ridge where one can hardly stand fully upright. Below, the dark floor forms a diffuse base from which one emerges one step at a time; like climbing into a treetop or, more precisely, into the heights of the branches of the Dachstuhl where more light is available. The small decks are both withdrawn and protected from the level below. It is important to note that both the staircase and the ladder, as liminal structures, are restrictive in nature, allowing passage for a single person at a time.
A minimal palette of natural materials ensures clarity.
While the existing timber of the Dachstuhl - including all the preserved roof battens - was simply cleaned with a soft wire brush, the new timber battens utilized for the interior remain untreated. As with all the historical timber-work, they are ‚sägerau’ (rough-sawn timber taken directly from the saw) that will slowly darken over time to develop its own patina. Set in stark contrast to the sägerau timber, the smooth wooden panels used for the doors and the inner lining of the pitched roof are finished with a off-white wood stain to deliberately distinguish these surface elements as separate architectural entities. An interior wall insulating lime render, which was implemented to meet thermal efficiency requirements, is left exposed.
Aside from the necessary conservation measures, the historic facade with its exposed masonry and crafted natural stone framing and trims, which are defining features of the regional architecture in the late 19th-century, remain visibly unaltered.
