Jauch House, Munich

AWARDS
German Metal Facade Award 2006, “House of the Year 2007” (2nd prize at the Häuser Award)

“Architects Doris Gruber and Bernhard Popp have created a paradox worth seeing: a house that is as understated as it is spacious; one that is as cozy and sheltering as it is stately and open. Haus Jauch reminds us that true architecture always brings things together: the past with the present, the large with the small, the individual with the community. What sounds like architectural theory is, in reality, intelligent building practice.”
Gerhard Matzig, Senior Editor of the Arts and Culture Section at the Süddeutsche Zeitung

The term “Kaffeemühlenhaus” refers to a unique yet lovingly designed type of house from the 1930s, featuring a square floor plan with a side length of approximately 10.00 meters. The existing “Kaffeemühlenhaus” in Munich was adapted to the family’s needs through renovation and expansion. Their wish was for an open and spacious living environment with ample opportunities to retreat to private, enclosed rooms. The existing structure, with its many small rooms, was to be optimally complemented by the spatial layout of the addition. Above all, however, the connection to the garden and the surrounding area—with its mature trees—was to be felt deep within the building’s interior. First, the building was “freed” from the existing additions on the exterior and reduced to its original volume. Through a very intensive design process, in close collaboration with the clients, a confident balance was achieved between the new construction (which matches the volume of the existing structure) and the old building. The joint connects the two parts of the building, while the entrance ties the ensemble together. The bend in the floor plan, in the area of the living room, corresponds to the consistent orientation toward the green axis in a southwesterly direction.