Project: Kronbühl Residence
Architects: Oppenheim Architecture
Location: Bodman – Ludwigshafen, Germany
Area: 10.763 sf
Year: 2022
Photographs by: Zooey Braun
Kronbühl Residence by Oppenheim Architecture
The Kronbühl Residence, nestled near Lake Constance, boasts a unique design that harmonizes with its surroundings. The compact plot is maximized with a three-story home. The basement, concealed within a landscaped berm, extends the garden, creating a seamless connection with the outdoors. It houses a garage, wine cellar, and more. Above this natural base, multiple concrete volumes with expansive glass facades create living spaces with unobstructed lake views. These panels cleverly slide into hidden pockets for maximum transparency. The upper wooden volume, shaped like a triangle, cantilevers over the concrete, housing the master bedroom. This residence melds modernity with nature.
Nestled in a quiet neighborhood, overlooking the German part of Lake Constence, the intimate Kronbühl residence site sits between a beautiful sunflower plantation, and an apple orchard extending along the whole back of the plot. The compact plot was optimized through the design of a three-story home for our clients.
A landscaped berm covering the basement floor offers a lush extended garden that blends with the surrounding landscape. By anchoring the lowest volume into the terrain, the entertainment spaces inside and the garden, swimming pool, and existing trees on the outside develop a natural synergy. The basement contains a multitude of programs – a Garage, a wine cellar, an entertainment room, a wellness space, and a sauna. The design intent of the vegetated base minimizes the three-story appearance of the house, offering a considerate gesture to the neighboring context way.
In contrast to the natural base, the middle level consists of multiple volumes finished in bush-hammered concrete, which creates open voids for living spaces in between. The glass facades are designed as large transparent panels filling the gaps between the concrete volumes, framing the various views of the lake and the fields. In order to achieve maximum transparency without any obstructions towards the lake view, the window panels slide inside a hidden pocket within one of the concrete volumes. This generous openness creates a visual dialogue between indoors and outdoors.
The upper wooden volume takes its triangular shape from the three main views of the house – the lake, the sunflowers’s field, and the apple orchard. The triangular form cantilevers above the concrete volumes, with the master bedroom and its corner window looking towards the magical sunset of Lake Constence. The wooden fins that wrap around the facade respect and enhance the natural conditions of the site including views, sun protection, and privacy. The Kronbühl Residence has its distinct identity relative to the surrounding buildings. Formed in close a relationship to the surrounding fields, it has a quiet, yet confident presence within its neighborhood.
