A Hideaway in the Taunus Mountains
The idea of renovating an existing cottage on the edge of a small village on a hillside in the Taunus region in Germany near the river Rhine became an architectural revelation for the owner. The Project ends up with a spectacular conversion into a 3,800 sf villa with an incomparable view into the landscape.

The entire volume of the three-storey house remains invisible from the street. From the surrounding, small-scale and rather rural architecture, the design stands out clearly. The dark grey forecourt has a reduced Zen design. Accompanied by a fountain, the path leads to the entrance, which is barely perceptibly concealed in a grey glass facade. A white frame serves as a canopy and encloses the entrance area and the garage access.

By entering the house, any impression of the surrounding rural life will immediately come to an end. Designed in a modern style, mirror surfaces alternate with dark and light wall coverings. A sliding door from the entrance hall links to an open space with the kitchen and dining area and the living room. From here, the extraordinary view of the Taunus mountains fills the living room. A floor-to-ceiling window front opens the room across the entire width without supports. Thus, transforming the living room into an outdoor terrace. From there the view in the surrounding landscape is widening, and you can overlook the pool terrace located two floors below and the garden designed in Japanese Zen style. Gravel paths lead through the sparsely planted property.

Downstairs from the pool terrace, the villa opens up spectacularly over 3 floors. The middle floor is set back from the barrel alignment and spans up a terrace. On the remaining level of the old weekend house there are guest rooms as well as work and meeting rooms. The original staircase leads back to the entrance hall. The facade to the pool glazed over the entire width of the house again. Here with direct access to the terrace, the SPA and fitness area and a barbecue kitchen are located.

Zero-energy house
The performance of the technical installations of the house hidden on the roofs and in the cellar of the house are also impressive. Energetically, the house is completely self-sufficient and covers the entire demand completely from solar energy via a large PV system with a total output and high-performance tube collectors also arranged on the roofs. Excess energy is temporarily stored in an underground ice reservoir and can later be called up to generate heat or to heat the pool. A central house control system allows the control of any technical equipment of the villa from anywhere in the world. Such self-sufficient living can be enjoyed even far away from any major settlement in the Taunus Mountains.