ISOVER provides insulation solutions for a house built in 1895 in Bochum, Germany. ISOVER took the challenge to carefully upgrade this house for a family of four, and the results speak for themselves.
This project involved the conversion and extension of an old 1895 building that had already undergone one renovation in the 1950s, to provide an updated home for a family of 4 people. The space had to be completely reorganised to meet the family’s requirements for large open areas flooded with natural light. Mechanical and electrical systems were required to optimize energy consumption and meet eligibility criteria for a grant from KfW (German institute of credit for reconstruction). Being located in the landscape conservation area of Bochum, planning permission was dependent on 65% of the existing archi¬tectural fabric of the listed building being retained. This limited the area of the new extension to just 130 m2. As the load-bearing capabilities of the existing structure were limited, the architect chose to build the extension using lightweight timber frame. Special attention was paid to integrating the new section with the existing architectural fabric to harmonise the overall appearance of the completed building.