Page 144 - AIT0718_E-Paper

WOHNEN • LIVING INNERE WERTE • INNER VALUES

Die Lager- und Büroräume der Schlosserei im EG des Mehrfamilienhauses verwandelten sich in Wohnräume. • The storage- and office rooms of the locksmith’s shop on the GF of the multiple dwelling turned into living spaces.

E The old locksmith’s workshop was established in a courtyard of the densely suring two by four metres each. Their frames consist of solid wood. The further design
populated south of Stuttgart at the beginning of the 20th century. When the
of the interior was executed with high-quality materials as well. Due to the use of
workshop ceased operation years ago, the building gradually decayed until our client natural insulation and clay plaster, the large single room now has a pleasant indoor
took on the gem and commissioned us to awaken the listed ruin from its slumber climate. An annex was furthermore added to the former workshop which serves as
and to connect it with a new intermediate construction to the ground floor of the mul- an entrance and distribution area. It links the old workshop wing with the ground
tiple dwelling standing next to it. The goal was to design an individual oasis of well- floor of the adjacent residential building. The rooms used to be storage- and office
being in the urban context. The demanding reconstruction of the historic stock and areas for the locksmith’s shop. Here the layout had to be preserved for static reasons.
its transformation into a modern residential unit including a separately accessed self- As a contrast to the plain appearance of the former workshop, we decided to remove
contained flat was achieved by using local and natural materials which ensure a heal- the plaster from the walls in the residential building and to expose the rough look of
thy indoor climate. The unique character of the individual zones was newly interpre- the brick walls. Their faults and imperfections were not corrected with complex “cos-
ted and the historic charm transferred into modern times. metic surgery” which now gives the rooms an individual identity. Natural linoleum
floors and whitewashed clay-plaster ceilings provide a calm and no-frills background.
Preservation and reinterpretation went hand in hand All the rooms exude a simple and unpretentious living atmosphere.

The architectural concept of the reconstruction took two aspects into consideration: Aspects of sustainability played a central role in the planning
to preserve the still existing historic building stock to the largest extent and, at the
same time, to newly interpret the original appearance as a workshop. In the process, Since our focus is on sustainability in building, all the materials used were selected
the merging of the old and the new was to pay tribute to the history of the building with this criterion in mind. Thus clay plaster, pit-lime plaster as well as lime paint,
yet simultaneously anchor the construction in the present. At the start of the project, wood-fibre insulation and linoleum were used – thus all natural materials which, at
the workshop was in a desolate condition: The roof had caved in already years ago; the same time, ensure a healthy indoor climate. For the worktops and the platform
the three still remaining walls had been provisionally braced to keep them from final- in the kitchen, we used Douglas fir from sustained, local forestry. The window frames
ly collapsing. Due to building regulations, it was neither permitted to newly erect the and the skylights of solid, oiled oak were individually manufactured. The door ele-
brick walls nor to design an independent internal construction. Any collapse during ments came from the stock and were carefully restored and installed again in new
the construction phase would have meant the immediate expiry of the building per- places. All the further products for the interior furnishing – taps, fittings, switches and
mit. The reconstruction work on the old walls thus required extremely careful inter- outlets – are from traditional German companies which attach much value on aspects
ventions. In the style of the original shape, the new roof had two skylights added mea- of sustainability for their production procedures as well the materials they process.

144 • AIT 7/8.2018