Finding the spatial answer to the question "What do we really need to be at home?": that was the goal for a young family that combines its vision of a home and its know-how of architecture and timber construction with the pragmatic needs of of everyday life.

Phase H's home is located on the outskirts of the village on the Ulm-Kempten railway line in the Iller Valley, surrounded by fields, meadows and surrounding buildings. Together with the neighboring, former station restaurant, it forms a "generational ensemble". This ensemble of the two buildings creates the basic prerequisites for the place to be a place across generations, across to be able to play in all phases of life.

The focus of the planning was on the question: "What sensitivities accompany us in our most private space, the "At home"? – Withdrawing, unfolding, experiencing the outdoor space – these needs should be integrated into spatial situations can be translated. At the same time, the question of which functional needs could be met depending on the time of day and phase of life was essential. and how they can be optimally reduced and combined.

As a consequence, the idea of the hallwayless house was born. The otherwise lifeless "corridor" development zone is replaced by family Communication spaces through which the individual rooms are accessed. The building, which is otherwise only entered for maintenance purposes, The technical room was expanded into a workshop and thus into a much-used creative room. Storage space has been consistently converted into furniture, so that spacious storage areas and cellars could be dispensed with.

The material concept reflects the different building zones: the robust mastic asphalt on the ground floor provides a functional connection to the underlying soil. The more private rooms on the upper floor are surrounded by atmospheric Spruce wood framed.

The concept for the construction: material properties, the location of the rooms and room openings are optimally used, in order to have to use as little technology as possible. The building can be naturally air-conditioned over the seasons. without having to resort to technical ventilation. Visible constructions and clear lines without cladding give the house a "pure" character. Cross-laminated timber enables equal treatment of all parts of the building and thus simplifications in the construction process. Inside, the wood allows furniture to be made in-house and lightweight elements while maintaining a uniform appearance.

Source: Phase H Architects
Photos: Cornelius Bierer