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Haus Stupp, Köln, 1977
Heinz Bienefeld, architect

Luxury is when you don't make the children's bedroom larger at the end of the hall, but allow the hall to continue behind the room to create an entrance into the courtyard.

Haus Stupp, Köln, 1977
Heinz Bienefeld, architect

This is basically a replica of the living room (accesible through the open door), except that it lacks windows. Originally, it was not part of the program, but Bienefeld was very stubborn about its necessity and it turned out to be used more than the living-room proper.

Which is not suprising.

Haus Stupp, Köln, 1977
Heinz Bienefeld, architect

The living room, with the one window on the left facing the street and the rest opening up to the (overexposed) internal courtyard. The door next to the fireplace leads to a covered terrace and to an exterior stair. The owners had just moved out and gave us the opportunity to view the house empty.

Haus Stupp, Köln, 1977
Heinz Bienefeld, architect

Back to architecture!!

Heinz Bienefeld didn't get half the attention he should have received while he was alive, as he did some pretty incredible work. Often very simple on the exterior, he really pulled all the plugs within. He loved materials and really left almost nothing in his buildings to chance. Of course, in the process, he often brought craftsman and client to the brink of sanity, but those who built with him stayed loyal to him, often staying in contact with other clients who also 'survived' the building process.

Bienefeld originally worked in the office of Dominikus Böhm before he opened an office with Rolf Link and then going off on his own, also collaborating with Emil Steffan.

Here, in a housing area where only single-story buildings were allowed on very small plots of land, he built two stories by digging down. Within the brick walls is a u-shaped courtyard house with all the living spaces on street-level and the sleeping areas on the lower level. Above the garage is a small garden which is accessible from the kitchen.

The circular plaque next to the door is an architectural prize.

it looks like a detail or even a microscopic shot, but it is really about a meter across, as is the last one.