Everybody lives

The hut in Kenya, the longhouse on Borneo, the igloo on the ice, the Yurt (Ger) of Mongolia, every dwelling is right at its place and inappropriate in any other, or even completely wrong. Because most people today have lost the feeling for a natural life-style, they believe it doesn't matter where and how to build, as long as the façade is "nice” and the price is all right. Unlike a piece of clothing however, which one can simply exchange if not satisfied, the personal house is a cover you should make more thoughts about, than about the plan to buy a coat.  

Do you really want just any house off the rod, if you can have a tailor-made instead, exactly suiting your needs, an unique, a fitting one – a different? Before I came to Bali, I lived and worked in Germany, Afghanistan, Kenya and Sumatra. I collected my experiences moreover on extended trips, where I got acquainted with the construction in different cultures, traditions and climates. I felt and feel particularly drawn to the diverse traditional building methods of the tropics. I approve on an architecture preferably close to nature, serving the place and the people which appears nevertheless, fresh and alive.

Jeder wohnt

die Hütte in Kenia, das Langhaus auf Borneo, der Iglu auf dem Eis, die Jurte (Ger) der Mongolei, jede Behausung ist an ihrem Ort richtig und an jedem anderen unpassend bzw. komplett falsch. Da die meisten Menschen heute das Gespür für eine natürliche Lebensweise verloren haben glauben sie es sei beliebig wie man wo baut, solange die Fassade „schön“ ist und der Preis stimmt. Anders als bei einem Kleidungsstück jedoch, das man bei Nichtgefallen einfach austauschen kann, ist das eigene Haus eine Hülle zu der man sich mehr Gedanken machen sollte als bei dem Plan sich einem Mantel zu kaufen.

Wollen sie wirklich irgendein Haus von der Stange, wenn sie stattdessen ein maßgeschneidertes genau auf ihre Bedürfnisse zugeschnittenes haben können, ein einmaliges ein passendes - ein anderes? Bevor ich nach Bali kam, lebte und arbeitete ich in Deutschland, Afghanistan, Kenia und auf Sumatra. Meine Erfahrungen sammelte ich außerdem auf ausgedehnten Reisen, die mich mit dem Bauen in unterschiedlichen Kulturen, Traditionen und Klimazonen vertraut machten, wobei ich mich zu den vielfältigen traditionellen Bauweisen der Tropen besonders hingezogen fühlte und fühle. Ich bejahe eine dem Ort und dem Menschen dienende möglichst naturnahe Architektur, die trotzdem frisch und lebendig wirkt.

Weekend home on Cam Ranh peninsula, Vietnam April 2013

The owner  wants a holiday home on his  long and narrow plot  (13 x 50m)
with 10 bedrooms!  for friends and family.  

Not to cover the site with buildings completely, I designed  a cantilevered house,
with balconies facing the backwater and garden site.

A smaller ground floor with all necessary service rooms, an open middle hallway
for better airflow. Pavilion and pool complete the arrangement.

The 2 upper floors with 10 master bedrooms are cantilevered, thus providing
shadow for sitting places 

Pavilion

 The Javanese Joglo inspired roof

 Terrace in front of Living Pavilion

Living Pavilion &  Fish pond

Layout

Ideas & Projects 2010/ 2011 for a simplified life

Well balanced Villa

View garden side

Isometric view

Layout first floor, 3 self-contained apartments - stair in the centre

view into living/dining area

K - house; compact and yet open

 Living area which can be completly opened /closed

Entrance with water feature

Layout ground floor

Layout first floor

For a long time I have been fascinated by "small but beautiful" houses. Now I wanted to develop this Interest into suitable architecture for the tropics and especially for Bali.
Smaller does not necessarily mean simple, plain or less comfortable, my approach is to focus on functionality, the perfect arrangement of room layout making the best exploitation of space, good and functional detail solutions and solid workmanship. Smaller houses require less use of limited land and often allow maximum experience of the surroundings. Instead of shutting out the nature and blocking the climate, the living space is extended into the open air. Smaller houses use less recources and can be less costly.
The aim is to built something comfortable which evokes good feelings. No stylish Design plus modern gadgets for a brief glitter show, these low-tech houses are meant to be more like good reliable friends. They want to speak subtly to us of the valuable things in life -- harmony, peace and inner Quality.

5x5 wooden house, is friendly, welcoming, cheerful. The airy living area gives a nice impression of spaciousness.

Layout

How does a house make us happy?

Unconscious inner images often control our needs. Even our vision of our own living. Our genuine housing needs are often overshadowed by prestige-thinking, options formed by the media, habit, life circumstances or by persons in our immediate living environment.

Mostly in Architecture buildings are designed and built just for a predominately aesthetic effect together with technical decisions. Usually it is not taken into consideration that there is also a psychological impact of space on its user.

A building developed with a holistic approach should form an organic unity with the natural environment, the individual user and the temporal interactions. The casual and playful design of these houses does not dictate how to inhabit them, they want to provide a useful, clear and systematic developed shelter and create an environment of comfort, authenticity and beauty.

Split Roof House: voluptuously, sensual, versatile

Nine square: elegant, generous, proud, charming

Inward House: chummy, stimulating, brittle

A Villa: peaceful, determined, spirited, popular

In-out House: vivid, optimistic, self sure

Klee House & Long yellow House: present; clear-cut, noble