Built around 1900 in a suburb of Frankfurt, this townhouse had lost much of the clarity, proportion, and beauty of its original architecture through numerous alterations. Our aim was to restore the building’s architectural character while adapting the interior to contemporary living and significantly improving its energy performance. 

Through the insulation of the façade, the renewal of windows and roof to form a highly efficient building envelope, and the integration of a photovoltaic system, the house was transformed into a climate-neutral home. Generating more than 11,000 kWh of electricity annually, the system supplies the house, powers the heating, and charges an electric car. 

In keeping with the house’s history, the kitchen was conceived as the heart of the home—a space that connects the building’s origins in early industrialisation with its later bourgeois features, including stucco detailing, high baseboards, and paneled doors.