Haus K | Marion Wicher

Reconstruction of 200year old winecellar and new construction of wine press into a residential house with a winecellar.

In the traditional configuration, the building consisted of a brick built, vaulted wine cellar with a wooden timber construction with gabled housetop, which was the housing of the winepress on top.

The old wooden construction was found in a desolate condition. Therefore the wooden winepress was exchanged by a completely new construction, interpreting the old traditional form in a modern manner.

The form finding concept was based on the historic traditional buildings for wine-pressing and wine storage that were built for sole function. They were pure agricultural buildings. The Character of the building is more that of a shed or a barn on a solid foundation. There were built basically as a ‚one-room’ building, most of the time with no windows, just one door to enter.

The new residential purpose is also organized as a ‚one-room’ apartment. Living, cooking, bathing and sleeping in one space.

The facade is interpreting the barn or shed appearance in the traditional landscape.

Three facades appear completely closed. Doors and windows are hidden behind wooden slats. Only the northwest facade is opening up with a wall to wall panoramic window.

The wooden facade derives from the traditional ‚corn cob dryer’ that characterize the area. A wooden open construction with vaulted roof, where corncobs were stored for drying.

The whole facade including the roof is covered with larch slat structure. There is no separation of wall and roof. Like a second skin the facade is wrapping the whole building, which makes the traditional form even stronger and clearer in appearance.

The Community wanted to set the building in a 2 meter distance to the street, which made the cubature move towards the north-west, the wooden construction and the gabled roof still being the main character and the whole structure covering the entrance of the wine cellar.