The location and the special proximity to the village were the deciding factors in the search for a suitable property. The builders, a young family with four children, envisioned a life in a café. The aim was to create a residential structure that was different from many other residential buildings. The focus was not on the living room, but rather on the centre of the extended family, the kitchen.

An intensive design process with many discussions and small workshops finally led to the desired result at the end of the measure: a 2-storey single-family house that fulfils the wishes of its residents. The process of the joint discussion formed the foundation of the reduced building and thus helped to build trust between planner and client in order to be able to implement all ideas consistently.

Together with the architects from Kleszczewski + Partner, the free-standing building could be erected on a large garden plot in the heart of a mature residential area, thus contributing to densification in the town centre. The building does not seem obtrusive and the true dimension cannot be guessed at first glance, despite its size. The architecture conveys a quiet restraint.

The floor plan, which is tidy except for structurally necessary elements, embodies the feeling of a new living culture, supported by generous window areas that created light-flooded rooms. The working title "Café Majer" was created early on and helped to realize the basic idea of the special cooking, dining and living experience through all phases of planning to execution. A kind of "loft for an extended family" was created.

The main features of the design are the contrast between transparency and seclusion. This is primarily visible in the different façade languages and the sculptural appearance of the architecture. Another characteristic feature is the greatly reduced living space, which deliberately widens the view by dispensing with walls.

The feel of the clinker bricks, which come from a Belgian demolition barn, the structure of the floor ceiling left in raw concrete, with visible pipes, and the untreated industrial floor, form the charm of the architecture. These surfaces are complemented by filigree, fixed-glazed wood-aluminium window elements that alternate with outward-opening windows. The deliberately used window elements from a Scandinavian manufacturer thus form a design element and once again set special accents.

[Source: Kleszczewski + Partner Architects ] (http://kleszczewski.de/project/oma/)
[Images: Hendrik Lohmann, Kleszczewski + Partner Architects ] (http://kleszczewski.de/project/oma/)

VELFAC A/S