simplicity love: House G12, Germany | (se)arch Freie Architekten

House G12 is a contemporary family home, designed by Stuttgart based (se)arch Freie Architekten of architects Stefanie and Stephan Eberding.

The house, located in Überlingen, Germany, accommodates the client’s couple on the upper level and has a lower level for the full five member family occasion and their summertime guests. High levels of transparency offer unique views to the adjacent lake Constance and the Swiss Säntis mountain opposite.

The open, minimalist interiors of the upper main floor enjoy of flexibility through the use full height movable partition walls that divide or unify the complete floor.

Photography © Zooey Braun

Description from (se)arch Freie Architekten:

“In European house building, until Classic Moderne came along, mobile walls were used mainly as connections in enfilade sequences of space in the impressive houses of the aristocracy. Influenced by this model, the middle classes also took up using sliding walls in their homes in the 19th and early 20th centuries to create generous spaces and to enclose space.

This exclusive lakeside property is right on the north bank of the lake Constance, and is enhanced by its particular position, between a sailing school with its marina and the beach houses of the bank development. As well as its own direct access to the lake and mooring, the property also offers a spectacular view over the lake to the Swiss Säntis mountain opposite.

The idea of dividing the space flexibly came from how the client was living. The house had to provide a suitably pleasant framework for the client couple living alone, but also allow space for the full five-member family to live together at times, plus guests. As well as an attractive communications area, the building should also allow everyone there enough space to go off on their own at any time. Being by the lakeside, the client couple expected visitors mainly in summer, so the house had to adjust to suit different users at different times of the year. So they had the idea of switching between a summer house (maximum occupation) and a winter one (minimal occupation).

This new design was also based on the idea of extending the available space and experience of space by making the inner space configuration flexible. Here, however, the façade is also included in the flexibility, creating a multi-faceted interplay between the different spatial levels, covering both the division of the floor plan and the transparency of the ‘layered’ space.

Indeed, the whole main space on the upper floor refuses to allow itself to be put permanently into any spatial or functional box. Using a system of flexible partition wall sections, this space can be divided into individual spaces in different ways, or opened up again. Being able to change like this means the minimised living area can be used for overlapping uses as day follows night.”