Sigurd Larsen transforms 18th century German farm into family home
A historical German Hallenhaus, a farming structure combining barn and living space, has been reimagined into a contemporary family home by Berlin based, Danish architect Sigurd Larsen
![Dortmannhof In Essen By Architect Sigurd Larsen looking in](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HwfaPeNqPKQVEaxhg32w5Y-415-80.jpg)
It’s one thing to conserve the interiors of a heritage-listed building, but it’s a rare feat to insert an entirely new structure within that building. And rarer still to be able to design that structure in such a way that, at a later date, it can be entirely disassembled leaving the original shell. Hats off, then, to the Berlin-based architect Sigurd Larsen for his remarkable sleight of hand with Dortmannhof – a Hallenhaus built in 1791 by the titular Dortmann family.
A hybrid of house and barn that was once a familiar silhouette in this part of Essen, the Hallenhaus is typically distinguished by a soaring 5-storey high saddle roof. In most respects, it's an efficient and compact form in which to house a large agrarian family, their farm helpers, and animals. In some ways, though, it’s also an awkward form when it comes to retrofitting the space for a modern family of musicians; made more so by the restrictions placed by building codes for national monuments, including one which require existing walls to be conserved.
‘The family needed a larger space to rehearse music,’ Larsen says of the brief which also required a separate guest house with its own bathroom. In all, 80sqm were added to the original 270sqm footprint. ‘We spoke a lot about the existing spaces and how the family might use the many small rooms of the house. The lack of daylight was also a topic we worked into the architecture.’
Three separate, white-washed buildings, including an 11m high music studio, were carefully inserted into the Hallenhaus’s existing grid, their sharply pitched roofs both echoing the internal roofline and serving as a metaphor for tall narrow crops. Large north-facing windows catch light streaming in through gaps in the original timber façade, while two small windows were cut into the eastern slope of the external roof. ‘The tall volumes meant we could now reach up to catch the morning light,’ Larsen says with satisfaction.
The inner surface of the original roof remains exposed, revealing the extant tiles insulated with hay. ‘It’s beautiful,’ Larsen says. ‘If we had insulated the entire barn from within, this surface would no longer be visible. But since we built smaller houses within the house, only the necessary living spaces needed to be insulated.’
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneer
Back in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Sun-drenched Los Angeles houses: modernism to minimalism
From modernist residences to riveting renovations and new-build contemporary homes, we tour some of the finest Los Angeles houses under the Californian sun
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Reethaus is a performance space conceived as ‘a place for radical presence’ in Berlin
Reethaus, a newly opened cultural centre in Berlin, kick-starts a fresh era for the city’s growing creative neighbourhood of Flussbad
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Duplex brings two houses together as a single, raw, theatrical home in Leipzig
Duplex by Atelier ST is a raw and textured family home born of the transformation of two smaller residential buildings in Leipzig, Germany
By Ellen Himelfarb Published
-
Berlin's Atelier Gardens gets bright yellow focal point within MVRDV masterplan
The bright yellow HAUS 1 becomes a key addition to Atelier Gardens in Berlin, part of an ever-evolving, sustainable masterplan by MVRDV
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
Bike-tyre maker Schwalbe’s HQ embraces sustainability through design
The new Schwalbe office building in Germany, featuring interiors designed by Archiproba Studios, champions contemporary sustainable architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This Berlin house balances romance and strength in a scenic plot
A Berlin house transformed by O'Sullivan Skoufoglou is both romantic and protective
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
KHBT Studio crafts German suburban home overlooking a nature reserve
House ZdM9 is a new German suburban home for a family, set on a spectacular site close to Frankfurt and the River Main
By Jonathan Bell Published