Schneider & Schneider Architekten

Description

At first glance, it appears to be a well-proportioned body with a smooth painted, precisely detailed plaster façade that is well suited to the high profile location on the street corner. On closer inspection, the building reveals its diversity. Two deep incisions on the ground floor accentuate the entrances. The excision for two terraces on the top floor accentuate the building’s corner, while the angled south façade that follows the line of the street gives the building additional dynamism. The large windows that alternate with the closed areas are framed in bands that run around the corner, thereby highlighting the building’s levels. The wall sections of these window bands are underlain with enamelled glass in the colour of the plaster. Depending on the weather conditions, the clouds are reflected on these surfaces, allowing the building to interplay with the differing moods of the daylight. The floor plans of the ground and first floor are aligned around a large central stairway core, which disperses as it rises upwards in accordance with the building’s body. The two upper storeys accommodate an apartment, which was developed for the requirements of a design collector. The living room and bedrooms are situated on the first level. A large staircase leads to the attic, with a kitchen, a library and two terraces. Integrated mutual perspectives ensure that the design objects remain in a balanced relationship with each other and can communicate on an equal basis.