Family house with "terraced" interior and lake view

The progressive family house with an extension and a view of the Mecklenburg lake Plauer See was built on the principles of a hillside house. The residential project combines the requirements of transparency and sustainability. Thanks to the architectural concept with Schüco window and façade systems and thoughtful heating and ventilation, it impressively demonstrates comfort and efficiency in living.



Unlike typical multi-story buildings, each individual usable zone here is accessible only by stairs. The placement of the house on a steep slope does not offer a continuous plane; instead, the spaces are divided into zones on several levels, which, combined with varying room heights, creates a fragmented and terraced atmosphere for living.

Individualized plan
The family house in Mecklenburg – Vorpommern certainly cannot be classified among standardized buildings. On the contrary, this project required an individualized and innovative approach to planning, considering the strict limitations arising from the development plan. Berlin architect Roland Wolff solved the task with a highly modern building that includes open, transparent spaces and, at the same time, provides a cozy indoor climate year-round with minimal energy consumption.

Crucial for the design was the client’s wish to open the building as much as possible towards the lake, while conversely closing off and ensuring discretion in the area of land communication. The result is a structure that, although it appears single-story from the street, allows for two floors due to its hillside location, which is evident from the other side facing the lake. The duplication of space in both upper construction units creates inviting usable spaces for living and working at first glance. The separate building parts are elegantly connected by an open two-story living hall, which brings an uninterrupted view of the lake through the transparent façade with slender profiles. Additionally, a skylight complements the glazed wall from above, allowing even more natural light into the central hall of the house.

Limestone-sandstone walls, lots of glass, and filigree aluminum profiles
The building consists of massive limestone-sandstone bricks. The outer walls are double-layered, made of limestone-sandstone bricks and internal insulation of the core. A fine-grained lime-cement plaster was further applied to the solid base of the outer shell. The lower floor is equipped with a suspended façade with a natural stone cladding. The natural facade in the shade of "impala anthracite granite" harmoniously matches the Schüco aluminum window profiles (shade PowColor Metallic 04).

All rooms are equipped with a floor heating system, with heating provided by a heat pump utilizing geothermal energy. For these purposes, two deep boreholes were made. The amount of electricity needed for the operation of the heat pump and other appliances in the house is approximately 2000 kWh per year. During the same period, about 7500 kWh of energy can be generated through a photovoltaic system optimally anchored on the flat roof of the house, nearly quadrupling consumption.

A wide range of transparent systems
Apart from the heating equipment and photovoltaics, the façade system used plays a significant role in the overall energy balance of the building. Along with the client's wish for as much glazing as possible, the need to use sustainable technologies that support the project's established energy goals had to be met. A highly thermally insulated façade system Schüco FW 50+.HI was selected, used here as a façade with structural glazing including fully glazed corners.

The transparent character of the façade with extremely narrow profiles was preserved on the first floor as well. Some corner window units were realized with the thermally insulated system Schüco AWS 70 WF.HI. With such a window façade in block window design, a minimal sightline width of only 27 mm is achieved for operable elements. The corner design is also elegant and fully glazed. In the lower part of the living hall with access to the terrace and a view of the lake, folding doors made from Schüco ASS 70 FD.HI profiles were installed. Thus, the kitchen space can be completely opened and connected to the outdoor terrace.

Comfort, self-cleaning, and shading
All mentioned window and façade units are equipped with self-cleaning glass and meet safety requirements in class RC 2. A safety fill of laminated insulating glass VSG was used. The entrance doors with solid fillings and concealed hinges are equipped with biometric entry control via the Schüco Fingerprint fingerprint reader. Outdoor blinds installed on the southern side contribute to a pleasant climate in the house during the summer months. The shading and ventilation concept is complemented by cross-ventilation through automatically controlled outward-tilting windows and roof windows. The chosen combination of measures leads to optimal solar protection and sufficient natural ventilation in summer, allowing the building to operate without air conditioning.

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Project details:
Object: Private house by Lake Plauer See
Architect: wolff:architekten, Berlin, Roland Wolff
Metal construction handler: H.O. Schlüter GmbH, Lübz, Germany

Used Schüco systems:
Façade with structural glazing and fully glazed corner design from the Schüco FW 50+.HI system
Windows from the AWS 70 WF.HI system with fully glazed corners
Entrance doors with biometric entry control via Schüco Fingerprint fingerprint reader
Automatically controlled outward tilting windows (from the Schüco AWS 102 system) and roof windows (from the Schüco AWS 57 RO system), ensuring cross-ventilation in the summer months
System for folding doors Schüco ASS 70 FD.HI
Aluminum profiles with high-quality metallic surface finish in Schüco PowColor Metallic 04 design
Window and façade units with self-cleaning glass, in safety class RC 2
Extensive photovoltaic installation on the roof of the family house and garage

For more information on Schüco systems, visit www.schueco.cz.