Page 103 - AIT0725_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Meier Unger Architekten, Leipzig
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan
Axonometrie • Axonometry
Bauherr • Client privat
Standort • Location Oberholz bei Leipzig
Nutzfläche • Floor space 180 m 2
Fotos • Photos Philip Heckhausen, CH-Zürich
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 134
HOUSE IN OBERHOLZ
NEAR LEIPZIG
Preserving the character of a house while successfully
improving its spatial qualities is often the stated goal of
renovations carried out in existing buildings. The Leip-
zig-based firm Meier Unger Architekten redesigned the
interior of a detached single-family house dating from the
1930s in the Saxon village of Oberholz, dealing with their
own modesty in planning in the process.
T he building would have been habitable, but had been transformed
by various layers of time, says Jan Meier, summarizing the status
quo the architectural firm was confronted with before they planned and
implemented the conversion. In order to meet today’s requirements
for spaciousness and light, the architects bravely decided to break up
the small rooms on the ground floor. This raised the exciting question
of how much intervention would be necessary to transform the space
into something more open without losing the positive qualities of the
existing building. Instead of opting for major structural changes, Meier
Unger deliberately chose a restrained approach with a few but effecti-
ve interventions. The aim was to create architectural spaces that were
already present in the construction but had not been noticeable until
now. Two significant openings in the central axis of the building were
designed to specifically expand the ground-floor rooms: the opening
of the wall to the stairwell now reveals the redesigned staircase with
its black-lacquered landing and light-grey-lacquered stringers, lending
the dining area a generous elegance. Conversely, the open stairwell
also benefits from the spatial expansion, the lighting and the new lines
of sight. The architects reinforced the connecting quality of the stair-
case, whose wooden balustrade gave way to a minimalist, high-gloss
black-lacquered tubular-steel construction. A second opening connects
the kitchen with the living area. By opening a sliding door, the dining
room in front can also be connected and benefits from another effective
intervention by the firm: a large, mullion-free window opening with a
low, deep seat parapet is reminiscent of the flower windows as they
used to be popular, frames the view of a garden with mature trees and
floods the rooms with light. The colour scheme, ornaments and shapes
– such as the recurring circle motif – were developed by Meier Unger in
collaboration with the clients. Glossy, refined surfaces lend the rooms
elegance, enter into a collage-like dialogue with the existing structure
and reflect contemporary ideas of living. It is these precise, selective
interventions that add another layer and a new legibility to the building.
AIT 7/8.2025 • 103