LIVING

Dear Readers,

Procuring housing space is one of the most pressing tasks for the future of towns and municipalities. It is a well-known fact that this cannot only be done at the expense of unspoiled nature. Densification is a solution approach especially in big cities, but refurbishment, modernisation and conversion of already existing building stock are also becoming more important than ever. Besides the aspect of a sensible conservation of resources, the attraction of conversions lies in the integration of the existing building which, as a rule, leads to particularly individual solutions with a strong character and full of atmosphere. At least these were the criteria we used to select projects for our current issue on “Living”. The professional refurbishment of historic buildings with courageous and contemporary interventions, as in the apartment in Chiavari, has fascinated us just as much as the conversion of two attic levels dating from the Wilhelminian era into an incredible maisonette in Stuttgart. There we also came across the project involving a less spectacular 1950s semi-detached house, which after specific measures in the basement now provides a contemporary home for a young family. The miller’s house in Berlin and the farmhouse in Asturias had been abandoned for decades, until they were awakened from their deep slumber and are once again able to accommodate families under their new roof. As expected, the architects and interior designer specifically designed the furnishings for the respective projects, and hardly any piece of furniture is off the shelf. We are, however, happy to provide inspiration when it comes to furniture (starting on page 34), carpets (starting on page 70) or textiles (starting on page 74) – we sought out and compiled the latest trends at the trade fairs in January. And finally, some good news from our own ranks:
the management appointed our colleague Dr. Uwe Bresan deputy editor-in-chief – we share his happiness over his promotion and congratulate him!

Best wishes
Petra Stephan, Dipl.-Ing.
Chief Editor
Architect