Stammhaus
Better than demolition: architectural and ecological potential of transformation of outdated villa in contemporary home.
Designed by KOSMOS Architects and Gordon Selbach, Stammhaus began with a simple but decisive shift: instead of demolishing the existing 1970s villa, as initially planned, the architects convinced the clients to preserve and transform it. The project reveals the architectural and ecological potential of working with an outdated structure, turning the remains of the old house into a contemporary domestic environment.
A new roof unifies and gathers the fragmented volumes of the existing villa into a single, simple form. Reading the structure as a constellation of three blocks spread across three floors, the house is reorganized with the potential to host multiple families under one roof. As the central element of the housing typology, the roof accommodates open, semi-open, and enclosed spaces, creating a flexible matrix of rooms, terraces, and intermediate areas available for inhabitation and reinterpretation over time.
Strategic cuts through the façade, walls, floor slabs, and roof establish a new spatial order within the existing structure. These incisions create enhanced visual and physical connections across the house, bringing light, depth, and unexpected relationships into what was once a closed and fragmented villa.
The use of green gives the project a distinctly Viennese character, referring to the city’s architectural tradition of Otto Wagner Grün, while also recalling the rich domestic interiors of early modern Viennese houses. Through minimal but precise operations, Stammhaus transforms a conventional 1970s villa into a generous, collective, and adaptable home.
