ᐅ Modernist House: Two Full Floors plus Setback Floor (approx. 200 sqm) – Optimization
Created on: 22 Jun 2020 22:23
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Baumeisteri123
Hello everyone,
after successfully purchasing the plot, my husband and I are now in the middle of planning our single-family home and would appreciate any tips regarding the attached designs.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 680 sqm (7,326 sq ft)
No slope
Site occupancy index 0.25
Building window, building line, and boundary: from 5 m (16 ft) away from the street, 12 m (39 ft) long, see attachment
Edge development: no
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of floors: 2 full floors + optional recessed floor
Roof type: flat roof
Architectural style: cube
Maximum height/limits: 10 m (33 ft)
Homeowner requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Bauhaus, flat roof
Basement, floors: no basement; two full floors plus recessed floor
Number of residents, age: 2 adults, 2 babies
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: approx. 200 sqm (2,153 sq ft)
Office: 2 home offices
Guest bedrooms per year: limited, can use offices
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Roof terrace
Garage
House design
Designed by: planner from a construction company and DIY
What do you particularly like? Why? The large window fronts on the west and north sides and the kitchen window on the south side, because we like bright rooms with plenty of sunlight and want to be able to see the street from the kitchen.
What do you dislike? The living-dining-kitchen area feels cramped; a larger floor plan is not desired due to the wish to have as much garden as possible. The exterior view could still be improved because the house looks very tall due to the three floors, and the facades with the windows are not always entirely harmonious. To visually soften the house, we are considering cladding the recessed floor with wood. If this turns out too costly, we are thinking about a color accent instead.
If you have to give up, which details/features
- can you do without: We could do without the half-landing stairs if using a different stair design improves space efficiency. Also, the utility room could be smaller.
- cannot do without: We don’t want to give up a generous living/dining/kitchen area with at least 50 sqm (538 sq ft) and a wide kitchen (at least 5 m (16 ft)) with a kitchen island.
Why did the design turn out this way?
The planning is based on our own wishes, especially the desire for an open living/dining/kitchen area with large windows (sliding doors) and a kitchen with a window facing south. We particularly like the corner window in the living room and the parents’ area in the recessed floor. It is also important to us that there is no direct view from the entrance area into the living room.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Can the ground floor layout be better optimized to achieve a more spacious living/dining/kitchen area?
We would be very happy to receive feedback. Thank you very much!
after successfully purchasing the plot, my husband and I are now in the middle of planning our single-family home and would appreciate any tips regarding the attached designs.
Development plan/restrictions
Plot size: 680 sqm (7,326 sq ft)
No slope
Site occupancy index 0.25
Building window, building line, and boundary: from 5 m (16 ft) away from the street, 12 m (39 ft) long, see attachment
Edge development: no
Number of parking spaces: 1
Number of floors: 2 full floors + optional recessed floor
Roof type: flat roof
Architectural style: cube
Maximum height/limits: 10 m (33 ft)
Homeowner requirements
Style, roof type, building type: Bauhaus, flat roof
Basement, floors: no basement; two full floors plus recessed floor
Number of residents, age: 2 adults, 2 babies
Space requirements on ground and upper floors: approx. 200 sqm (2,153 sq ft)
Office: 2 home offices
Guest bedrooms per year: limited, can use offices
Open or closed layout: open
Conservative or modern construction: modern
Open kitchen, kitchen island
Number of dining seats: 6
Fireplace: no
Music/stereo wall: no
Roof terrace
Garage
House design
Designed by: planner from a construction company and DIY
What do you particularly like? Why? The large window fronts on the west and north sides and the kitchen window on the south side, because we like bright rooms with plenty of sunlight and want to be able to see the street from the kitchen.
What do you dislike? The living-dining-kitchen area feels cramped; a larger floor plan is not desired due to the wish to have as much garden as possible. The exterior view could still be improved because the house looks very tall due to the three floors, and the facades with the windows are not always entirely harmonious. To visually soften the house, we are considering cladding the recessed floor with wood. If this turns out too costly, we are thinking about a color accent instead.
If you have to give up, which details/features
- can you do without: We could do without the half-landing stairs if using a different stair design improves space efficiency. Also, the utility room could be smaller.
- cannot do without: We don’t want to give up a generous living/dining/kitchen area with at least 50 sqm (538 sq ft) and a wide kitchen (at least 5 m (16 ft)) with a kitchen island.
Why did the design turn out this way?
The planning is based on our own wishes, especially the desire for an open living/dining/kitchen area with large windows (sliding doors) and a kitchen with a window facing south. We particularly like the corner window in the living room and the parents’ area in the recessed floor. It is also important to us that there is no direct view from the entrance area into the living room.
What is the most important/basic question about the floor plan in 130 characters?
Can the ground floor layout be better optimized to achieve a more spacious living/dining/kitchen area?
We would be very happy to receive feedback. Thank you very much!
Unfortunately, I have to say: it’s not Bauhaus, just a 3D Tetris that looks very awkward and disharmonious.
I generally like this type of house, but the interaction between the levels and niches should be carefully planned, not just left to chance. For example, the garage area looks completely out of place next to the two additional floors above it.
I don’t understand why you’re even using the setback floor. With the floor area ratio, you have the opportunity to design the building harmoniously, making it somewhat wider than it is tall—even visually.
Also, there is nothing exciting inside. Okay, that’s not always necessary. I would probably cut off the third floor and create a nice parent suite on the ground floor.
I generally like this type of house, but the interaction between the levels and niches should be carefully planned, not just left to chance. For example, the garage area looks completely out of place next to the two additional floors above it.
I don’t understand why you’re even using the setback floor. With the floor area ratio, you have the opportunity to design the building harmoniously, making it somewhat wider than it is tall—even visually.
Also, there is nothing exciting inside. Okay, that’s not always necessary. I would probably cut off the third floor and create a nice parent suite on the ground floor.
face26 schrieb:
The building’s shape, especially one view, reminds me more of a Tetris block.
You’ve actually already noticed it yourself. The house doesn’t have enough floor area for three stories, and combined with the many setbacks, it looks just like Tetris. Especially where there is one setback too few: I would give the garage a shadow edge, meaning I would move it forward by a quarter of a meter (10 inches) so the house doesn’t look “crooked” because of the continuous rear facade. I thought about this last night but couldn’t quite put it into words. Tetris fits well.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Yes, eliminating the set-back floor is what I meant in my first post. I just wrote first floor, not sure why.
As I said, the current design is also quite challenging budget-wise. If that is “sufficient,” try two shifted rectangular volumes with slightly larger dimensions than now. Keep the lower one as close as possible to the street and shift the upper one to the north. It would cantilever beyond the ground floor on the north side. This automatically creates a south-facing terrace on the first floor.
Structurally not ideal, but neither is the current design.
Just an idea...
As I said, the current design is also quite challenging budget-wise. If that is “sufficient,” try two shifted rectangular volumes with slightly larger dimensions than now. Keep the lower one as close as possible to the street and shift the upper one to the north. It would cantilever beyond the ground floor on the north side. This automatically creates a south-facing terrace on the first floor.
Structurally not ideal, but neither is the current design.
Just an idea...
B
Baumeisteri12324 Jun 2020 21:12Hello,
thank you very much for all the contributions. You have confirmed our opinion that the overall design still doesn’t look quite right and that the appearance needs improvement.
Since we want to have the largest possible garden and therefore keep the building footprint as small as possible, we intend to stick to our plan of building 2 full stories plus a recessed top floor.
To improve the visual aspect, we will set the recessed top floor back on all sides and possibly enlarge the floor plan to 11x10 meters (36x33 feet), so the house doesn’t appear too tall (keeping the height less than the width). Additionally, we will move the garage so it is no longer flush with the house on the north side.
We would appreciate further suggestions, also regarding the entrance area/staircase.
Have a nice evening and best regards,
Lena
thank you very much for all the contributions. You have confirmed our opinion that the overall design still doesn’t look quite right and that the appearance needs improvement.
Since we want to have the largest possible garden and therefore keep the building footprint as small as possible, we intend to stick to our plan of building 2 full stories plus a recessed top floor.
To improve the visual aspect, we will set the recessed top floor back on all sides and possibly enlarge the floor plan to 11x10 meters (36x33 feet), so the house doesn’t appear too tall (keeping the height less than the width). Additionally, we will move the garage so it is no longer flush with the house on the north side.
We would appreciate further suggestions, also regarding the entrance area/staircase.
Have a nice evening and best regards,
Lena
Mmmh, I’m curious to see how this will develop.
I think it will only improve minimally. It will still look like a (perhaps modern) townhouse, just missing the adjacent houses.
How did you arrive at 10x11?
Does this mean you are giving the house an additional meter in width from the street view?
So you are taking 1m away from the garden on the west side, which seems very important to you? Why not, for example, 12x9?
I don’t think this approach will lead to success.
Why such a strong focus on keeping the garden as large as possible? You have quite a lot of space on the north side, so why is it a problem to take 2m from there?
Why are you so fixated on the setback floor? Is it just because of the garden area issue?
I also believe that as long as you stick to the building shape, it doesn’t make much sense to worry about other details. First, you would need to see the new floor plan.
My amateur opinion is that the extra meter on the west side won’t make much difference, except that the open-plan area will feel a bit more spacious.
I think it will only improve minimally. It will still look like a (perhaps modern) townhouse, just missing the adjacent houses.
How did you arrive at 10x11?
Does this mean you are giving the house an additional meter in width from the street view?
So you are taking 1m away from the garden on the west side, which seems very important to you? Why not, for example, 12x9?
I don’t think this approach will lead to success.
Why such a strong focus on keeping the garden as large as possible? You have quite a lot of space on the north side, so why is it a problem to take 2m from there?
Why are you so fixated on the setback floor? Is it just because of the garden area issue?
I also believe that as long as you stick to the building shape, it doesn’t make much sense to worry about other details. First, you would need to see the new floor plan.
My amateur opinion is that the extra meter on the west side won’t make much difference, except that the open-plan area will feel a bit more spacious.
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