GERMAN MODULAR HOME

felt the magic of the place and already had some ideas of where a house could go,’ says Michael.

Close to the forest and the coast, the 12,500sqm plot has lots of trees, a small pond and many pathways. The couple made a follow-up appointment and left with a handshake agreement, flying back to Zürich the same afternoon. ‘Luckily we were the first and last people to visit the site – it was perfect timing,’ Michael explains.

When Michael, 54, and Gabi, 53, built a home near Wiesbaden in 2008 they’d decided against commissioning modular house builder Baufritz, finding its houses a little old-fashioned. But after investigating further for the new project, they changed their opinion. ‘We were surprised how modern the company’s designs had become,’ says Michael. ‘And the headquarters are close to Zürich.’

Michael, who had been the CEO of a medium-sized chemical company in Switzerland, but is retraining as a health consultant, and Gabi, a former travel agent, wanted their new home to be eco-friendly and robust. ‘It needed to be practical to cope with our dogs Sam and Charly,’ says Gabi. ‘Baufritz architect Stephan Rehm got our ideas immediately and within two hours we came away with the first hand-drawn designs.’

The couple hoped to build a bungalow, but due to local planning restrictions the house had to be two storeys. During four visits to the factory, the design and detailing of the house were nailed down. They were able to choose from a wide range of fittings, from kitchen cabinets to f looring, skirting boards and door handles. ‘We turned up well prepared each time, and were able to make quick decisions,’ says Michael.

As the couple were based in another country, the company managed the project for them. ‘This was a good decision because Covid restrictions made travel difficult or impossible,’ says Gabi. In August 2020 work began on the foundations and in three weeks the concrete slab had cured and the build could begin. Since the timber

‘ Having built a home, we knew this was the only way our ideas would get full consideration’

‘ Luckily we were the first and last people to visit the plot – it was perfect timing’

frame, insulated panels and many of the fixtures were pre-constructed the house went up in just three days. ‘We were on site to watch, and it was great to see our ideas become a three-dimensional reality,’ says Gabi. The rest of the work took six months.

Clad in untreated larch that will turn a silver grey over time, the triple-glazed house has a green wildf lower roof, an air-source heat pump, a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MHVR) system and underf loor heating. The energy-efficient interior and exterior LED lighting system creates preset schemes that can be altered during the day and night. A priority for the couple was to display their art collection effectively. ‘Michael had a site meeting where he used big photographic printouts to determine the final spot for every painting and to finalise the design and the number of lights for each one,’ says Gabi.

Downstairs the open-plan living area opens onto a west-facing terrace, which can also be reached from the library. Stacked with books on subjects ranging from history to politics, science fiction to wellbeing, the library is where Michael and Gabi read or listen to music, and it includes a couple of paintings specially commissioned for the room.

As the sun moves across the sky, light filtered by the surrounding trees falls across the terrace. ‘Our home has made us more conscious of nature than ever,’ says Gabi. ‘As the garden and green roof mature we hope to see more insects, frogs and birds.’ The couple, their dogs and their treasured artworks seem to have found a permanent home.