Conversion of the Jankowitz building into a residential and office building 2004–2007
Apartment building A Spunjesch
2006–2007
Two single-family homes Weber 2006–2007
Single-family house La Schiazza 2009–2011
Conversion of the Wilzius House 2009–2010
Conversion of the Kayser House 2009–2011
Pretemer
Single-family house 2010–2011
Four terraced houses, op der Wollefskaul 2010–2012
Housing subdivision Am Doelchen 2011–2015
Single-family house
Obertin-Marx 2013–2015
Conversion and extension of the D’Haeseleer House 2014–2018
Conversion of a grocery store and construction of an apartment and a single-family house 2010–2012
Conversion of a winegrower’s house and dwellings Dentzscheseck 2013–2020 House for Karl Friedrich Schinkel 1979
Energy-house on the Mosel 1985
Reuter single-family house 1985–1987
Bortuzzo single-family house 1988–1989
Valentiny-Zucca single-family house 1988–1989
Hoffmann single-family house 1989–1990
Marxen single-family house 2003–2006
Artist’s studio Martine Deny 2016–2017
Wurth single-family house 2006–2007
Maglica single-family house 1988–1989
Schmit-Lauer single-family house 2012–2013
Reuter-Santer single-family house 2014–2016
Winter garden for a single-family house 2011–2012
Conversion and extension of the Rodenbourg house 2012–2015
Conversion of Heisdorf Castle into an integrated centre for the elderly 2002–2004
Residence for the elderly Les Jardins de Schengen 2007–2015
ENSEMBLE:
LIVING IN THE COMMUNE OF SCHENGEN
We built many houses and public buildings in the Moselle region in the mid2000s.In the Moselle region, we developed our own languages when it comes to shapes and materials. We moved away from concrete constructions to place greater emphasis on the region’s famous rough plaster made from Moselle sand, known as Schengener Putz, which we use for the façades according to the old local tradition. We started integrating wooden elements into our constructions in order for the buildings to release more heat.
A whole series of buildings that we have built take into account or even contribute to the regional building culture. We took over local craft traditions and combined them with contemporary techniques, creating familiar places for the inhabitants. We work with utmost respect for the material. What motivates us is the search for regional harmony and homogeneity in the external appearance of buildings; no foreign body should disturb them.
We have thus developed a form of construction that is certainly contemporary, but which is intended to be in keeping with nature, where elements can blend into each other: the wall of a small alley and a section of a house wall, for example, thanks to the use of the same material. We aim for the various elements of the different structures not to be dissociated by people’s eyes at first sight.
We worked with broken concrete for certain constructions, which creates an effect of depth in the walls, or with unevenly textured plaster, so that the façades do not look too smooth and polished.
In the villages along the Moselle, where stone houses abound, we work to create harmony via materials and colours, where a contrast could spoil the pleasure of the view. These are certainly technical reflections, but we deem them important for the philosophy of building single-family houses in a region like the Moselle.
To create this harmony – which is one of the major objectives of my architectural philosophy –, the dimensions of a structure are not as important as one might think. The material, the colour, the shape – which can vary according to the period, the opening or not of a construction, the available space –, the light, the sun and the texture of the chosen material are, on the other hand, determining factors.
One of our very first single-family home projects was completed between 1985 and 1987 in Schengen for the Ruppert family. There, we converted a barn overlooking the vineyards in the centre of a small Moselle village into a functional winegrower’s house with an apartment and cellar. The façade was made of dry stone: a very classical structure. The design incorporated a void in the building itself, with a large centrally located dining room. It stood as a central area around which all the adjacent rooms came together at various levels, which was further highlighted by two skylights.
Based on this shape of the central room around which the other spaces gather and cluster – I consider this idea to be the original shape of all dwellings – we have built half a dozen other similar projects. A central space that is open at the front, featuring winter gardens at the back and lightwells to let in light from above; an idea we still use today in many buildings.
In Wellenstein, we built the Hirtt-Gasper House, which was completed between 1999 and 2001. It was based on the theories of the Greek philosopher Socrates – theories later taken up by Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472), philosopher and architect of the Quattrocento – of the Mediterranean-style house, with a roof raised on the side where the sun shines, so that the rays can penetrate deep into the house. It is a two-storey, funnel-shaped house, facing south to capture the sun.
