Haus Köris is located on a plot in the middle of a tall pine forest near the Klein Köriser See near Berlin. The Wooden structure was detached from the ground in order to minimise its footprint in the forest floor and to ensure direct contact with the seasonally moist soil. The irregular floor plan results from the position of the existing trees on the property. The house is divided into five individual volumes, which are offset from each other and around the existing trees so that connections are created inside the house. The shifts in the floor plan form a courtyard and several green niches along the façade. Some of these recesses are from wind or wind others catch the sun and thus create pleasant microclimates. The niches give the residents of the house There are many ways to understand the outdoor space as an extension of the interior and to make these areas outdoors, as long as it is the weather allows me to inhabit with. Haus Köris proclaims a new relationship between house and nature, where interior and outdoor space to interact and merge into each other without being a glass house.
The interior of the single-storey building is divided into various rooms with varying room heights from 2.40 m to 3.10 m and offers a large, open living space and several individual rooms of different sizes on a total of 130 m2. The generously proportioned, central living room is the heart of the house, where the residents come together, cook together and eat at a large table, or relax in front of the fireplace. Three rooms that are flexible in their use from the living space in different directions. Depending on what is needed at the time, they can be used as a bedroom, work studio, workroom, or guest room. Their arrangement on the opposite sides of the allows for very good acoustic separation, so that even at night you can work and sleep at the same time, without disturbing each other.
Throughout the interior, the light wood surfaces of the walls, ceilings and floors remain uncovered, creating a Consistently pleasant indoor climate and unique ambience. Large windows in irregular positioning interrupt the serene interior design with picturesque views of the surrounding treescape. All windows have been arranged in the room in such a way that the trees in the immediate vicinity are the focus of the view and are Window to be framed. Four entrances connect the house with the garden. The main entrance is in the central courtyard and opens directly to the large living space. One of the side entrances connects the bathroom with the garden, where there is an outdoor shower in a recess of the building and protected by vegetation.
In order to be able to preserve the existing pine trees, the house was not only developed around the trees, but also had to be also avoid any damage to the horizontal root network in the soil. The entire house was therefore elevated to keep the impact of the house on the soil to a minimum. The light wooden structure rests on individual concrete point foundations arranged in a grid under the house. The individual concrete piles allow the tree roots to grow around the stakes in the future. Thanks to the efficient wooden construction, which was mainly prefabricated, the residential building could be built at a reasonable price.
The building is based on the idea of sustainability, which is reflected in the consistent use of regenerative raw materials. In addition to solid wood floors and ceilings, a new type of wall system is used wooden modular blocks filled with wood fibre-based insulation material. The façade was built all around with vertically wooden slats made of regional spruce wood.
Source: Zeller & Moye
Images: César Béjar
