New single-family house - Join us on this journey!

I would ask the architect to do a temperature calculation for the building – that is, heat input through the house materials towards the inside and a heat simulation for the outdoor area. And then have them calculate what it costs to get the heat out of the building again. The terrace by the pool is likely to be so hot in the high summer that you wouldn't want to stay there. Black surfaces are up to 30 degrees hotter than white surfaces, and this heat is conducted in both directions – inward and outward. And no overhangs or other effective shading? I know such architectural fantasies from the far north of Scandinavia, but it doesn't get that hot there either. If the facades are designed in wood, then you can renovate the paint annually. But even with other materials, you have a crazy effort to maintain the uniform black tone. It looks good for maximally two years. After that, you have surfaces that age differently, weather, and show environmental influences. It gets colorful without looking like a patina. I can really only shake my head at so much design and so little sustainability. I know, architects love black. So edgy, so sleek, so different. Without having to put effort into the cubature. But there are reasons why buildings have not been made like that. And no, new materials and technologies are not so advanced that synthetic materials do not age. Ask about manufacturer warranties on color fastness under weathering. 5–10 years maximum. And those include tolerances. Under lab conditions. Sorry for the rant, but this is such a wet architectural fantasy that absurdly ignores a lot of reality.

And if you imagine the facade in white, it looks like any single-family house in any new development area. Just bigger. This is not good architecture. And for the budget, I would want more. More tension, more structure. And not a black painted flair.

I should stop looking at the draft ;)

The missing north terrace of the granny flat for privacy reasons? That could be solved differently. Structurally or with planting. As it is, the north side is even gloomier than north sides usually are, with the closed, looming wall surface. Nice that in the rendering there is only a grassy meadow there.
The kitchen, where you like to sit for a long time in the morning, faces the street? And for privacy reasons there are a few trees in front of it. That will be dark. And all visitors have to pass through this rather shady room.
It's nice that the architect was able to inflate the footprint again with the single-story building, but I don’t find it successful in the slightest. The plot looks cluttered. But of course that saves costs for the outdoor facilities. :)
Upstairs, all rooms have sloping ceilings and skylights, which to me in this form is the opposite of luxurious. Or modern. You can create fantastic rooms with slopes, but this rather looks like a prefabricated house. But at least a lot of space is wasted with an open void above a dining table. Which isn't even used as a gallery upstairs.
I would have preferred a inserted cube or something like that, to have spacious rooms with an open living feel also on the upper floor. This is an inflated flair with a strange orientation.

I should stop looking at the draft ;)

Yes, I would like to put things into perspective a bit.

The missing north terrace of the granny flat due to privacy reasons? That could be solved differently. Structurally or with planting. As it is, the north side is even darker than north sides usually are, with the closed, looming wall surface. Nice that there is only a grassy meadow shown in the rendering there.

The bedroom is on the north side of the granny flat – how bright does a bedroom really need to be? I consider the window front on the east to be completely sufficient for that. I already gave a recommendation for implementing a terrace.

The kitchen, where you like to sit for a long time in the mornings, is facing the street? And for privacy reasons, there are some trees in front. That will be dark. And all visitors have to go through this rather shady room.

The kitchen is fully on the south side and is not shady with this large window front. Trees can be pruned so they don’t darken the rooms. There are also small trees.

It’s nice that the architect could inflate the footprint again with the one-story extension, but I don’t find it successful in any way. The plot looks cramped. But that saves costs for outdoor facilities, of course. :)

The whole plot is, in my opinion, not really visible on the plan.

Upstairs, all rooms have sloping ceilings and roof windows, which to me is the opposite of luxurious in this form.

That wouldn’t surprise me with a gable roof now.

You can create fantastic rooms with sloping ceilings, but this looks more like a prefab house.

I don’t think so, but taste is certainly debatable here.

But much space wasted on an air space above a dining table. Which isn’t even used as a gallery above.

I clearly see a gallery there.

I would rather have wished for an inserted cube or something like that, to have generous rooms with an open living feeling upstairs. This is an inflated flair with a strange orientation.

To further inflate the already huge living area? For what purpose? I must admit that I would never build this house either. A lot has already been said about the black color; what bothers me more is the terraced house character. Accordingly, the orientation of the main apartment rather towards the neighbor, instead of the garden, seems to me a planning mistake. Living in a terraced house for 2 million? – no thanks! Furthermore, the building is a monster due to the complete basement. I feel like half of the living area is underground. Here, it would really be worth considering whether to have an external staircase to a bicycle cellar, etc., which could also be used by the resident – what else would you do with so much cellar? However, the design is not necessarily bad – it corresponds to your wishes, if I understand correctly.

For me, a gallery is more than a corridor. Rather an open usable area, just like in the picture. The size of the property can be derived from the renderings with the neighboring buildings.

For the foreseeable future, initially our two parents in varying frequency. Presumably, the granny flat will be occupied 50-60% of the year. Plus spontaneous (longer) guest visits.

The granny flat in this concept is already a classic mother-in-law apartment, a positive counterexample (albeit as a permanent mother’s flat) of which I linked only a few days ago. The argument of privacy is quite strange when used by (in-law) parents and friends, and the question about the laundry drying space for a later tenant remains.

Granny flat as a maisonette over 2 floors with separate stairs? That could help spread things out per floor and for frailer parents optimize the stairs directly for a stair lift?

... with its own bathroom for the guest tenant, in case the student brother of ever stops by *LOL*

Currently, it’s all-in just under 460-470 m2 of residential and ancillary area... [...] Another question: The house concept is currently based on a solid wood construction. Any comments from you?

I’m cracking up: building material eco-biosustainable, but please with plot “utilization” like a high-rise apartment lion. Do you also drive with an SUV to the farm shop, as befits good Pharisees? A concept should be material-neutral, because the concept belongs to design phase 2, and the building material decision only enters in design phase 3. There is still a bit of a hitch here (not in the wood). By the way, very conceptually fit architects in Munich are known to .

I’m a bit fascinated how an architectural firm in 2022 can design something like this as modern and progressive. The Kardashianization of architecture is fully implemented here. I find that a shame with such a budget. A missed chance to build innovatively.

Kardashianization – gloriously fantabulous – Maestro, a drum roll!

I would ask the architect to do a temperature calculation for the building – that is, heat input through the house materials inside and a heat simulation of the outdoor area. […] Sorry for the rant, but this is such a wet architectural fantasy that absurdly ignores so much reality.

It seems to me that so much effort (and commitment beyond the “avant-garde” design) is too much to expect or overestimated from this architect.