A sage green facade of harmonious wooden panels defines Babendiekstraße 23, a pair of timber houses completed by NOTO architecture studio in Hamburg, Germany.
The two houses are located on a wooded site, and are integrated within a three-storey cube with openings that provide space for the greenery around its edges.
This includes one corner of the plan, where NOTO cut the building at an angle to make room for an existing tree.
“Out of respect for the existing trees and the surrounding area, a plan was developed that blends into the landscape,” Noto said.
To help Babendiekstraße 23 blend into the landscape, NOTO covered its prefabricated timber structure with vertical timber panels painted sage green.
Outside, there are also regularly spaced windows with yellow awnings, while much of the ground floor has been decorated to frame views of the trees outside.
Babendiekstraße 23 is accessed via a narrow path leading to the site from the street, with the main house entrances on a small concrete plinth in the cut-off corner.
Inside, the spaces are arranged around a uniform grid, with the dividing wall dividing the two houses running diagonally across the volume.
“The building’s floor plan is based on a three-storey grid structure,” the studio explained.
The building’s dividing wall breaks this grid diagonally, except for the stairwells, which remain perpendicular to the facades.
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In keeping with the natural topography of the site, the ground floor has been divided into two levels, with an elevated kitchen and dining area and a lower living area. The spaces are connected by a flight of four steps, and feature modern furnishings and a muted colour palette.
Terracotta floor tiles run through both spaces, extending up one wall of the living room to line a corner fireplace.
Along with the frames evenly distributed along the glass walls, a series of wooden beams appear above the ground floor rooms at Babendiekstraße 23 to add a sense of rhythm to the interior.
While both homes share largely identical spaces, one has an open kitchen and living room while in the other, these spaces are separated by frameless doors in pale blue.
“One of the differences between the two homes is the design of the kitchens,” the studio said.
“On one side, there is a closed volume that is lower than the rafters and can be closed with frameless door leaves. Another element added to this room is a floating triangular bay window that overlooks the tree at the entrance,” she continued.
“The other house has an open kitchen, with a low kitchen island that allows unlimited views of the garden. The island also serves as a breakfast table,” the studio elaborates.
Inspired by the exterior colour palette, a strip of sage paint runs along the stairs leading to the upper floors at Babendiekstraße 23.
Here, both homes feature a more compartmentalized layout with bedrooms of varying sizes and bathrooms in triangular rooms at the corners of the building. The upper floors feature exposed wooden beams, paired with wooden floors and whitewashed walls.
Other German homes recently featured on Dezeen include a tiny aluminum-clad house designed for easy assembly and a family residence made up of two gabled blocks that look like two separate houses.
Photography by Hannes Heitmüller.
