House by the lake with a forward-looking energy concept

Langenargen / Allendorf (Eder), Mar 1, 2019 – For architect Stephan Rehm, it was important to include the older surrounding buildings in the planning and yet design a contemporary house. And the house does justice to its exposed location. Towards the very busy street, the two-and-a-half storey building is largely closed off – which also saves energy. The atrium at the entrance, however, already suggests to visitors that they can expect something special. Through the glazed south side, the eco-friendly designer house opens up to Lake Constance with a large terrace, thus creating a connection to nature.

Planned for the future

With a view to the future, the house is barrier-free. The kitchen, for example, is already senior-friendly. The execution shows that no compromises have to be made in terms of appearance, modernity, and design. This is a consistent theme throughout the house, and all additional options are not immediately obvious either. There are even plans and structural preparations to extend the house into a duplex, above the entrance canopy and utility room, which would create up to three residential units: a senior-friendly ground floor and two apartments next to each other on the first and second floors. Members of the family or even nursing staff could move in here later. Even the retrofitting of a lift is already taken into account.

Smart home technology for comfort and energy efficiency

Baufritz also took an individual approach in the choice of building equipment and banked on Viessmann technology. The “House on the Lake” is classified by the German Development Loan Corporation (KfW) as an “Efficiency House 55” with a brine/water heat pump, which draws its energy from a 15-meter deep groundwater well drilled in the garden. The heat generator is powered by self-produced solar power, which the Viessmann modules supply from the south side of the roof. Its control system automatically determines the expected power curve of the photovoltaic system and the likely energy demand in the house from data from the previous days. Both are taken into account in the operation of the heat pump to ensure the maximum amount of solar power is used. If no heat is currently required, it can be stored in the hot water buffer tank. An additional storage water heater ensures a high level of hot water convenience.

Charging station in the carport

The photovoltaic modules also supply the light and the household appliances. Surpluses charge the electric vehicle in the carport. As the home builders want to be as independent as possible from increasingly expensive grid power, an energy storage device was also integrated in a small technical building – also from the comprehensive Viessmann product range. This absorbs excess electricity and stores it for later use.

A sun-drenched home

Overall, the heating and power supply system is also prepared for a potential expansion of the building shell. The building automation turns the sun-drenched home into a smart home with individual custom features. This guarantees comfortable living, intelligent, efficient energy management, and a wide range of safety features. Among other things, lighting, blinds, and the latest generation of Miele household and kitchen appliances are sensibly connected.