minimalistic house in southern germany by DIA merges natural and man-made

the house built by dittel architekten (DIA) blends into the context of a historic country estate dating back in the middle ages. located in a rural setting in south germany, which is characterized by natural areas and agricultural land, the new building is positioned orthogonally to the historical barn and to the road on the site, so that it fits in with the alignment of the existing courtyard buildings.

conceived by DIA as an independent modern building, the new structure respects the traditional architectural language of the surrounding buildings. special attention was given to the homogeneity between old and new — this dialogue manifests itself in the horizontal division of the building structure, which is emphasized both by a difference in materials and a shadow gap. brightly plastered, the modern base level forms the foundation for the wooden part placed upon it, whose lamellar structure refers in modern translation to the neighboring barn.

thanks to the seamless integration of the folding shutters into the wooden lagging and the pitched roof structure without eaves, the building presents itself as a modern, peaceful and closed monolith. in the twilight, the semi-transparent lamellar structure of the shutters creates an atmospheric lighting mood and on hot days it supports the pleasant indoor climate without completely darkening the interior.

the open floor plan ensures a bright, friendly living situation that opens up to the terrace flanking the building on two sides to the west and north. panoramic windows provide an unobstructed view of the surrounding landscape, so that outside and inside, natural and human-made, fluidly merge with one another.

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: maria erman | designboom