A new single family house designed adjacent to the Oppenheim Europe office. This elegant contemporary structure juxtaposes with the adaptive re-use of the historic farmhouse that was converted into the office. The new and old share commonalities of materials and colors. The 3-floor house is organized with the master bedroom and guest bedroom on the top floor; the kitchen, dining and living spaces on the ground level; and the children’s bedrooms below ground with a ramped outdoor backyard terrace leading up to the ground level.

The design of this adaptive re-use project was born initially out of a design competition initiated by the City of Muttenz. The design was based on the renovation of an historic farmhouse situated within the historic center core of the city. The original farmhouse was constructed in 1743. Today the converted farmhouse serves as an office for an architectural design company, provides community meeting space, and serves as a compelling link to a new, adjacent private residence.

The new design aimed to provide a fresh interpretation to the existing traditional features of the historic farmhouse building and its interior. This is achieved by creating new openings for natural daylight and by using a crisp white finish in the interiors, which juxtapose against the texture of the old wood and through the way in which the spaces open up, overlap, and merge together with one another.

The sustainability considerations included maintaining an energy- efficient building through the use of current MINERGIE (energy efficiency) construction standards, solar roof panels, a sustainable choice of materials such as reclaimed wood used for the facade, and the restoration of existing architectural elements where possible.