Das Glashaus is a weekend house in Uckermark, north of Berlin. It is designed for a small family with room for plenty of guests. The house offers an opportunity to spend time in the countryside and enjoy the nearby preserved forests and lakes.
The house has a simple floor plan with a curved wall that creates privacy from the road. All rooms overlook the open landscape to the west and have access to the large covered terrace. The beds are positioned along the facade so they can be accessed both from the inside and directly from the terrace. Likewise, the shower can be reached directly from the outside. When the long row of glass doors is open, the small bedrooms and shower feel like alcoves along the covered terrace.
The staircase and kitchen block are built into solid volumes of concrete bricks that frame the main living space. The curved stone wall is recessed toward the east to create a small courtyard for the first rays of morning sun, protected from the wind. The wooden structure of the roof forms a greenhouse on the first floor. It contains a large, bright space that functions as a studio for creative work and a great place to enjoy the view and daylight, regardless of the changing weather. A bed, a work table, and later a bathtub turn the greenhouse into a spectacular space during spring and autumn. To the west, the entire roof surface is made of glass, offering views over the green valley and the sunset from inside. The eastern slope of the roof is polycarbonate, creating a spectacular play of light, shadow, and changing colors as the sun moves across the house. Every day is a new experience.
In the warmer months, the interior and exterior spaces blend seamlessly through the many openings on the garden facade. The interior of the house appears to merge with the garden, which is defined by the curving wall of the house and the green hedges of the garden. In winter, the compact, insulated, single-story house becomes a cozy and intimate retreat, offering views of the landscape and changing light through the panoramic windows. The greenhouse upstairs is an additional feature that can be used once the sun has warmed it up or the wind has cooled it down.
