Philipp Architekten BDA // Anna Philipp

Treehouse – purissimo

When Anna Philipp and the clients met for the first time at Castle Waldenburg, a connection from heart to heart was established at the first instance. It was the beginning of a friendly relationship that formed the basis for an extraordinary cooperation. "When I design," says Anna Philipp, “ I always focus on the people I build for and the specific place where I build. For me, it was a privilege to be able to design a home for such a strong family. The appreciation and trust placed in me from the very beginning was extraordinary and gave me my inspirational wings."

The place where Villa Fröschle was conceived is certainly not a location that deserves the triple A title. This does not mean that the property has no attractive attributes; however, these were severely affected by a commercial enterprise directly adjacent to the south and the streets on two sides of the plot. Anna Philipp has mastered this challenge by placing the building on a green hill at the highest point in the terrain. As a second essential measure, it has moved the habitats from the ground floor or garden floor to the first floor.

Removed from the hustle and bustle, a more than 20 m long, quiet, loft-like living room stretches upstairs. Through an extremely filigree, frameless and floor-to-ceiling glazing, the view goes into the treetops and towards a castle on the horizon on the other side of the valley. The feeling of life in the centre of the villa corresponds to that of a modern tree house. Caught up in everyday life, the occupants of the house move in a green natural space.

Along the street, on the other hand, the building is sealed off with two closed and offset white walls; in whose intersection is located a protected entrance of the house. When entering the foyer, however, the view widens directly towards the atrium garden adjacent to the south. There, the architect created an introverted refuge for the residents by positioning the building towards the back of an adjacent industrial hall and through two simple exposed concrete walls. The blue water of the pool, a green meadow, a striking house tree and a spacious wooden terrace deck form the essentials of this intimate and invisible garden atrium. Practical detail at the edge: The mobile wooden deck can be driven over the pool in winter and protects it from foliage and other entry.

From here, the spacious staircase or the central elevator leads to the living floors above or the garage and technical level below. Otherwise, there are two guest rooms for the two adult children of the family and a kind of "black box" as a band rehearsal room or music room in the garden floor. There, the extremely musical family meets again and again for joint jam sessions or to end the party sociably with karaoke.

The theme of music runs like a thread through the entire house. Upstairs, it is the classic grand piano and the cello that have been placed centrally at the intersection of living and dining. Daylight enters the centre of the living spaces via the stairs to the sky lounge on the roof. White also dominates here as a colour in combination with a floor in exposed concrete optics. Nevertheless, Anna Philipp and her team have succeeded in creating a feel-good atmosphere thanks to the sensitive material mix and different surfaces which leads to a differentiated feel.

As a central and connecting element, a more than 15-metre-long seat window vis a vis the treetops runs through the loft-like space. Like the long dining table, the kitchen including the adjoining backup kitchen, the library wall, the house bar, the entire dressing room and many other furnishing details, this was designed by Anna Philipp especially for the house Fröschle. For the architect, it is essential to plan not only the architecture, but also the entire interior design. "Our team develops every single room with all the details, the furnishing, the lighting concept and decoration with art," emphasizes the architect with great passion and joy.

Above the kitchen there is a walkable glass roof. Through a pergola-like construction, it projects an exciting and varied play of light and shadow onto the kitchen work surfaces below. Behind one of the supposed kitchen cupboards, which are kept in uniformly simple white, lies the access to the private tract of the residents with dressing room, master bathroom and bedroom. The latter are oriented towards the east - the rising sun. The building of the upper floor works here far above the garden floor below and ends in a balcony running over the entire width of the building.

In the truest sense of the word, the highlight is the sky lounge on the roof of Villa Fröschle. It houses a small secluded study, the house bar and a cosy fireplace room. A unique place where the builder likes to retreat during breaks. Up here you are completely out of the reach of everyday life and all the bustle. The sky appears closer than the earth. The lounge is surrounded by a large, circumferential roof terrace, which provides perfect visual protection thanks to the parapet-high attic. There you can enjoy a 360° panoramic view over the roofs or a sundowner drink before bedtime.