Project: Energy-efficient house, timber-frame structure

• Style: Modern barn
• Year of completion : 2017
• Space : 186 sq. m + 52 sq. m
• Location :  Schwendi, Germany

Description: The house is constructed in Germany where great emphasis is put on energy efficiency of buildings. Using suitable materials, thoughtful details and modern but simple technical equipment of the building, we achieved a very high energy standard, and consequently the German certificate of a KFW 40 house (more about energy certification of our houses in the TECHNOLOGY tab and ENERGY CONCEPT page). The energy demand of this house is by 60% less than allowed by the German standard. The house also successfully passed the blower-door test and obtained a certificate of air tightness in the passive house category. A simple, optimized architectural form of the building, heating system supplied from a heat pomp, utilization of energy generated by PV panels and a central ventilation system with heat recovery enabled us to reduce the energy costs to a minimum.

The wooden, ventilated facade of the house hums with life. It never looks the same. Its colour is determined by the time of the day and background formed by the continually changing sky. E.g. it assumes one appearance in the colours of the rainbow and another on a sunny, cloudless day.

In the interior design, we paid attention to its maximum flexibility. The first argument in favour of such a plan: the needs of house occupants changing over years. Another argument: to give the owners freedom to adapt the interior. Hence the design of the ground floor with its core consisting of a bathroom, stairs and utility room containing complete technical equipment of the building. Its central location enabled us to reduce the costs of system distribution in the entire building. The space around the “core” is open, but designed so that partition walls can be constructed to obtain separate rooms

The first floor comprises two rooms, a bathroom with sauna, a gallery that can be enclosed to obtain an additional room and a separate, comfortable bedroom zone with a wardrobe, and a bathroom with shower. The space next to the stairs is suitable for lift integration if necessary.