For me, light is at the center of every design, there's nothing more important than that. It's natural light that makes apartments feel warm and welcoming.
One of my professors used to say that an architect should follow the minimum standards regarding lighting, but if you want to design good living spaces you will need much more than that. – Martin Strobl Jr., the architect of this renovation project.
Architect: Martin Strobl
Photo: Patricia Weisskirchner
Being both an architect and investor was a blessing for this project. The complete freedom to experiment and implement new ideas led to a harmonious, beautiful project that presents solutions for a common problem: how to create more apartments in city blocks and design them as modern and healthy living spaces.
What we are presenting in the pictures is the result of an apartment renovation project on the attic floor of a building. In just 6 months, the owner of this attic built a real refuge under the sloping roof of a building in the center of Graz. The 150 sqm space now offers a new style of quality living, right in the heart of the city.
As it was a conversion project, the aim was to create a spatial volume corresponding to a quality dwelling. The entire roof structure was removed and rebuilt using veneer panels. These serve both to support the roof load and to remain visible indoors, creating a geometry of shapes.
The spruce wood used for the interior has been polished and lacquered to preserve its characteristics and give the interior a Scandinavian feel. Moreover, the lacquer prevents the wood tone from darkening over time, keeping the room bright.
Being on the top floor reserves the privilege of offering that wonderful feeling of having the world at your feet or touching the clouds. Although the sloping roof construction characterizes the building, the overall atmosphere is not one of constraint. On the contrary, it is dominated by brightness and a lot of white.
On the other hand, the VELUX roof windows installed are generously sized and give a feeling of freedom and openness. Initially, the project included fewer windows, but the architect decided to use the advantages of natural light for optimal lighting.
Even on dark or cloudy days, there is no need for artificial light: "Especially direct sun exposure through VELUX roof windows brings generous solar gain, making the room feel even brighter and larger," says the architect.
This effect is also used in the concept of artificial lighting, where the light sources radiate upwards and horizontally.
This attic demonstrates how much luminosity wood can radiate in relation to the openings provided by VELUX roof windows. The feeling you get when entering this apartment, if it could be described in words, would be "reaching freedom".
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