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Residential house

How do you make a dream house come true? For example, like the Scholz-Neuner family from Pegnitz in Upper Franconia: on a south-facing slope, with a dedicated architect and mineral products from KEIMFARBEN.

Architect:
Volker Schwab
Photos:
Erich Spahn
Location:
Pegnitz, Germany
Products:
  • Soldalit
  • Klassik-System

The first stroke of luck was the building site. It is located on a sunny south-facing slope in the middle of a miners' settlement from the 1950s and offers an unobstructed view of the city all the way to the Schlossberg with its striking lookout tower. Then the architect came into play: "In the design process, the client's wishes were central to us from the very beginning," explains Volker Schwab. "Based on our client's preference for geometric shapes, we developed a structure whose simple and clear architecture creates a harmonious relationship with the surrounding landscape." The result of this process consists of two structures twisted at 90ยฐ to each other. The two volumes are set apart from each other on the outside by their materiality and construction, while the interior is defined by the stepping of the floor plan and an open spatial arrangement divided into different functional zones.

Open floor plan design

The construction follows the terrain; this allows for an open floor plan with interesting views and clear organisation of the areas, which can do without partition walls. The floor-to-ceiling glass surfaces let a lot of daylight into the house and open up the view of nature. On the street side, the building is accessed through a covered entrance area that leads to the ground floor. Here, the kitchen with dining area, which is as simple as it is elegant, forms the end of an open sequence of rooms with entrance, cloakroom and pantry. Three steps down is the spacious, southwest-facing living area with a fireplace and a specially designed wood-burning stove, which, together with the solar system, covers the entire energy consumption of the house. A single flight of prefabricated concrete stairs leads up to the upper floor, where the private rooms are located. A horizontal band of windows provides a dreamlike view of the landscape to the west and south. All interior rooms were painted with mineral colours.

"We deliberately chose the ecological residential paint KEIM Biosil here," explains the architect. "In addition to optimal properties in terms of building physics and the formulation suitable for allergy sufferers without the addition of solvents and plasticisers, the aesthetic quality of KEIM Biosil with its mineral matt surface was also important to us."

It depends on what you make of it

The exterior appearance of the finely structured building is simple and concentrated. Structural elements consist essentially of core-insulated exposed precast concrete elements and in-situ concrete; corner glazing, large glass surfaces and horizontal timber boarding give it structure on all sides. The execution with prefabricated concrete elements required meticulous factory planning, but despite the late start of construction at the beginning of November, it enabled the completion of the structural work before the end of the year.

The rotation of the white plastered upper storey creates a roofed entrance situation facing the street and a sheltered terrace area on the opposite south-west side. The building structure was made of in-situ concrete and finished with the Klassik-EPS thermal insulation composite system.

The construction with 20 or 25 cm EPS insulation boards and reinforcing filler as well as mineral finishing plaster and a double coat of KEIM Soldalit sol-silicate paint ensure efficient facade insulation with an unrivalled durability.

All exposed concrete components were coated with KEIM Lotexan-N, a colourless, hydrophobic siloxane-based finishing coat, to protect against water, acid rain and atmospheric pollution.

Nestled in the magnificent landscape of Franconian Switzerland and sustainably protected thanks to KEIMFARBEN, this dream home with its flowing rooms and clear surfaces reflects its owners' attitude to life - and the vision of its architect.

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