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Architects: Sascha Wurm Architektur
- Area: 362 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Lennard Zimmermann
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Structural Engineer: Bollinger+Grohmann, Sebastian Dietrich - Bollinger+Grohmann
Text description provided by the architects. Worm in Swan's Clothing - In the Franconian town of Iphofen, at the foot of Mount Schwanberg, a family home has been constructed on a sloped site at the edge of a typical residential development. The building adheres to the strict guidelines of the development plan. With its rectangular footprint, gabled roof, orientation, locally typical plaster facade, and restrained color scheme, it blends inconspicuously into the surrounding settlement. However, the interior layout intentionally breaks with convention: lofty rooms that extend to the roofline, open circulation areas, parallel staircases arranged side by side, a central living space with maximum connection to the garden, and split-level floors that reinterpret the slope as a spatial asset and integrate the ascending terrain into the design.
The Rödelseer Tor, part of the town's historic fortifications and a postcard icon of the community, and a nod to the origins of the clients, served as an inverted source of inspiration for the design concept. The street- and settlement-facing facades of the house echo the massive, protective outer wall: solid, closed, and punctuated with only a few small openings. In contrast, the garden-facing facade, inspired by the half-timbered construction of the Rödelseer Tor's inner face toward the old town, is open and permeable. The structural system follows a simple and clear principle: load-bearing exterior walls, a central wall running beneath the roof ridge, and two bracing wall panels. These elements form a protective envelope around the central living area. Subdivided by a fireplace and an offset column in line with the exterior wall, this space offers a flexible layout for cooking, dining, and living. Selective openings in the load-bearing central wall create connections between the living area and the circulation zones, fostering family interaction. A full-width glass wall extends the living space into an equally wide terrace.
Designed as an extension of the interior, the terrace is subtly set into the hillside and spanned by a pergola. Preparations for its future addition have been made, referencing the vine-covered structures of historic houses in Iphofen's town center. On the street-facing side, the contrasting transitional space between the exterior and interior – the house's entrance - is more subdued. In keeping with the defensive character of the settlement-facing facade, the entrance door is flush with the wall surface, without a canopy or visual emphasis. Inside, the entryway is designed as a transition zone between the public and private realms. Material selection, color palette, spatial proportions, and lighting create a calming atmosphere that sets the stage for entry into the bright, open spaces of the house.
A building concept focused on achieving sustainability through durability relies on simple, robust, and high-quality materials and construction methods. These include wood-aluminum windows, exposed concrete floors, and walls made of monolithic brick masonry with a plaster facade. The house is constructed without a basement. The insulated bricks rest fully on a "folded" reinforced concrete slab, eliminating the need for hidden reinforced concrete columns to support the exterior walls. The high insulation values of the selected materials, combined with technical features such as a heat pump and photovoltaic system, result in a high energy efficiency standard (Efficiency Class A+).
