Scheidt Kasprusch Architekten | Minimum house

in Architecture by editor — 7:45 am | March 13, 20120 comments

The minimumhouse at Mellensee, situated to the south of Berlin, is a prototype for a serial holiday and residentialhouse. Under the label minimumhouse it is offered including all furniture and fittings. The concept was developed by the ideal of a house with maximum outdoor impressions and also by making full use of the solar yields for the building. The reflections of glass and light make the three-side glassed building shells appear immaterial.

Scheidt Kasprusch Architekten | minimumhouse

The team consisting of architects, engineers, building physicists and executing companies developed a modular building concept, that allows a contemporary open-plan living with high ecological and economic standards.

The Institute for Building and Solar Technology, Braunschweig developed in several simulations various thermic and technical alternatives for the building services to obtain the optimal solution for each location. The annual heating requirements answer to the low-energy standard. Soil sensor, ceiling-mounted radiation heating, controlled ventilation and a heat recovery support thermic automation. A bus system constantly supervises and regulates the house. The floor plan organization and the ideal orientation of the house –north side closed, the other sides paned- enable active and passive use of solar energy.

A solar system is placed on the extensively vegetated flat roof. The northern wall is a highly insulated, two-shell timber frame construction. The southern facade is a flush fixed glazing mullion-transom construction. Sliding windows permit to open the west and east facades. A core, that is placed in this volume, integrates building services, closet and flight of stairs and also divides the floor plan into zones.

All materials and surfaces used for the minimumhouse have been chosen in accordance to ecological and sustainable criteria.

Location: Klausdorf, Germany

Architect: Scheidt Kasprusch Architekten

Awarding authority: minimumeinrichten gmbh
Concept and development: Scheidt Kasprusch Architekten
Completion: 2008
Living space: 128 sqm
Gross floor area: 151 sqm
Cubature: 514 cbm
Award: Heinze ArchitektenAWARD 2010
Photographs: Christian Gahl, Ulrich Hellwig
Materials: northern facade: a highly insulated, two-shell timber frame construction
Southern facade: a flush fixed glazing mullion-transom construction