Page 97 - AIT0325_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Piertzovanis Toews, CH-Basel
Grundriss Obergeschoss • Upper floor plan
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan
Bauherr • Client Erika und Willi Thiessen, Albisheim
Standort • Location 67308 Albisheim
Nutzfläche • Floor space 285 m 2
Fotos • Photos Simone Bossi, Italy
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 118
ERIKA‘S & WILLI’S BARN
IN ALBISHEIM
In the tranquil village of Albisheim in the Palatinate region
of Germany, a building that was once used for agricultu-
ral purposes has been given a new lease of life. A commit-
ted couple transformed the old barn into a modern living
space with the support of the Basel-based architecture
firm Piertzovanis Toews – and it surprises with a colourful
and varied room-in-room concept.
I t was a feat of strength, but it was worth it. For four years, Erika and
Willi converted a barn into a 285-square-metre residential building – a
building with a special character: charming and open but, at the same
time, idiosyncratic, not to say a bit cheeky. After all, you wouldn’t initially
expect such a bold use of colour in a listed building with thick quarry-
stone walls, mud bricks and wooden roof trusses. Rather, you would
expect a classic “over-80” colour spectrum in beige, brown and grey.
So, it’s surprising to see the historic walls in this light. But first, a look at
the starting point of the conversion project: the large, L-shaped barn was
previously used primarily to store hay and is one of several agricultural
buildings grouped around an old mill dating from the 18th century. The
central space retains its height differences and the warped roof trusses
and is now characterized by four differently coloured “houses in the
house”. The external look of the historic building, however, had to be
categorically preserved, which meant that changes to the façade – for
example, larger windows to let in more daylight – were not allowed.
However, a ribbon window was installed in the roof instead, extending
across the entire length of the building. To make the barn habitable, a
room-in-room concept was created, with some areas defined as mono-
chrome living spaces. This included one of the two sleeping areas with
an attached bathroom. Here, everything, including the terrazzo washba-
sin, was completely immersed in blue. As with the other colour-glazed
wooden surfaces, the grain of the plywood panels remained visible,
which further enlivens the look. All in all, a varied spatial structure has
been created that is spanned by the historic roof truss and harmoniously
corresponds to the past. Except for the placement of the windows and
the installation of the heating, everything was done by Erika and Willi
themselves. However, they did not have the necessary skills from the
outset, and they really had to learn them first. In the end, they even con-
structed the dining table, the living-room table and several luminaires
– designed by the architects – with their own hands. Which proves once
again: sometimes you just have to dare!
AIT 3.2025 • 097