The project evolves from the existing structure — despite the clearly stated rejection of what already exists. It is a project that defies expectations, a project that offers resistance, a project that proposes an alternative to demolition.

The approach is inspired by Boro, the Japanese textile craft in which fragments of old kimonos are carefully pieced together to form a new garment. This practice is closely linked to the philosophy of Mottainai: respect for the value of what already exists and regret over waste. What already exists is not replaced, but incorporated, continued and transformed.

The building itself was shaped by the material shortages of the Second World War. Today, it faces a climate and resource crisis. The response is a transformed house — neither a new build nor a renovation. 

The existing floor plan is rethought. The conventional living arrangements of the wartime nuclear family are broken up. The small, functional kitchen disappears, while the oversized kitchen becomes the center of the transformed floor plan.

The existing structure is complemented by a new spatial layer that seeks to connect with the garden, open up the flats, and create new qualities and ceiling heights. A transformed house that plays with different atmospheres.
They come together almost like a collage, held together only by a column and a beam at the point of the break. Moments of tension, interaction and transition emerge throughout the project.

Jodok Imhof Landschaftsarchitekt : Landscapearchitecture