Kleyer House

In a residential area in the town of Oldenburg, situated among houses built and designed in the typical north German style, this minimal steel box catches the eye. In order to meet the client's demands for ample space on a tight budget, an inexpensive, prefabricated steel system is chosen, to be constructed at a cost of 1500€ m², creating a house for a family of four that at first look resembles an industrial shed, and inside holds a block containing the standard domestic facilities.
The house is clad with vertical trapezoidal-profile sheeting and stands on a concrete ground slab that extends 1.5 m beyond the walls on all four sides.
The steel portal frame made from standard rolled sections spans the full 9m width of the building. Lightweight concrete infill panels provide the necessary stability for the 22 m long structure.

The inner organization of the house works like a simple hall. On the westside, a living and dining area covers the full length of 22 meters, maximising a feeling of openness. The east side houses a wooden box with three bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen. An elevated platform separating the two spaces additionally functions as a storage space, while distinguishing the two spaces based on their private and public functions.

Amongst its other traditional counterparts, the house, with its concrete slab base and steel portal frame, gives a feeling of temporality but rooted in context. It stands in the garden like a striking piece of contemporary furniture on a plush carpet.

Program
The demand was to establish a maximum of open space and at the same time several specific rooms with a small budget. The solution is a large MONOSPACE with a built in box containing minimal dimensioned functional and individual rooms.

Client
KLEYER

Architectural award
Weser-Ems-Prize 2005

Cost
200.000 €

Surface
230 m²

Prize
Weser-Ems-Preis für Architektur und Ingenieurbau 2005

Team
LIN Giulia Andi, Finn Geipel with Ahnert, Andre Schmidt, Berlin; Local Architect: WILKEN, Wedemeyer & Partner, Oldenburg; Structural engineer Christian Focken, Bad Zwischenahn