An old hen house was transformed into a country home with a strong character in the German Münsterland region: traditional, sustainable and with a maximum of cosy warmth.
In the Münsterland region of northern Germany, a couple are delighted with their new home amongst an expanse of fields where chickens once used to roam free, enjoying a country life. Its blended style combines sustainability, traditional craftsmanship and renewable energies under one roof.
The starting point for this special project was a 35-metre-long former hen house without a paved floor, which architects Anja and Jochen Engelshove transformed into a country retreat for generations to come.
In addition to renovating and integrating the existing building, one important aspect of the refurbishment was to retain the Münsterland country house style. To this end, the load-bearing capacity of the floor and the existing materials were tested for reusability right at the beginning of the project. 50% of the original roof structure has been preserved.
The original intermediate floor in the roof structure was removed and the roof beams restored. Today, the roof beams give the open-plan living, dining and kitchen space its special character. The focus of the entire renovation project was on the sustainability of materials, local traditional crafts and renewable energies. For this reason, a heat pump with a geothermal probe was used to supply sustainable energy. As part of the renovations, existing openings were enlarged to allow more daylight into the interior.
On the outside, a clay brick façade was chosen in keeping with the style. The clients requested a look that was as natural and warm as possible. “We deliberately replaced the clinker bricks with new ones of the same size that show off hand-crafted beauty in their irregularities”, explains Jochen Engelshove.
The product choice fell on Terca hand-moulded bricks, reddish-brown nuanced with white slurry, which authentically bring out the original character of the house. The rustic appearance of these hand-moulded bricks radiates a special naturalness and warmth – unmistakable and long-lasting for generations to come. Each of these bricks is as unique as the technique used to lay them. In the traditional manner of the Münster region, the bricks were laid and the joints immediately smoothed instead of being pointed afterwards, as is customary. The result is distinctive. This light-flooded country house is a glowing example of sustainable construction in old buildings and for the reinterpretation of historical building culture.
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