The new relationship between inside and outside, architecture and nature, form the design theme for the conversion and extension of a house for a family of four in Hohen Neuendorf near Berlin. A new structure was added to the existing house from 1925. A visual axis connects the old and new building and creates a new sequence of spaces from the private rooms, through the hallway, kitchen, living and dining rooms, to the garden.

The existing house is part of a historically grown development structure along a lime tree-lined street in the old town center in Hohen Neuendorf. The deep lot has a number of space-forming existing trees, such as an Irish yew (Taxus baccata) and a hornbeam maple (Acer carpinifolium), whose preservation provided the inspiration for opening the house to the garden.

The extension, which houses the living and dining rooms, is placed against the garden-facing gable wall of the house. The old and new buildings are made visible through glazed building joints. On the entrance side, the extension forms a façade alignment with the vestibule, allowing visitors a view through the new building into the depths of the property as they enter the house.

A wide wall opening connects the elevated kitchen with the living and dining room at garden level. From the elevated vantage point of the kitchen, the nine-meter-wide glass facade of the living room seems to fill the entire width of the property. Exposed concrete surfaces, polished screed flooring and a solid oak staircase define the materiality of the interior. On the outside, the new building is clad in light-colored wood siding. The roof area is designed as a green roof. In the old building, the wooden floors were partially preserved and partly supplemented with white oiled Douglas fir floorboards. The existing staircase, windows, doors and fittings were refurbished.

Architects: Jens Brinkmann
Collaborators: Chiara Sanguin, Raquel Malagó Garcia, Carolina Vital do Rêgo