Cherry Blossom House

Cherry Blossom House

Cherry Blossom House

Überraum Architects

STATUS
Built

PHOTOS
Kuhnle+knoedler Fotodesign Gmbh(4)

YEAR
2014

LOCATION
Achern, Germany

TYPE
Residential › Private House

This award-winning family home is situated close to Strasbourg, in a village famous for its cherry trees and cherry schnapps.

Cherry Blossom House
©Kuhnle+knoedler Fotodesign Gmbh
Cherry Blossom House
©Kuhnle+knoedler Fotodesign Gmbh

Presented with a naturally beautiful site, and constrained by a modest budget, we resolved to design a building that engaged with its natural environment.

The house is highly methodical in its plan, and dramatically augmented by the selective framing of views.

The building sits confidently in the landscape, jutting out like a ship in a sea of green.

Cherry Blossom House
Cherry Blossom House

It allows the landscape to flow uninterrupted beneath it, elevating living spaces into the blossoms.

At the heart of the house an ample open plan kitchen forms the family’s central hub.

The top floor, including bedrooms, is level with the treetops, evoking the atmosphere of an exclusive tree house retreat.

Cherry Blossom House
©Kuhnle+knoedler Fotodesign Gmbh
Cherry Blossom House
©Kuhnle+knoedler Fotodesign Gmbh

Designed as a low-carbon german Passivhaus, the timber frame construction has been prefabricated off-site and was erected in just a week.

The building is insulated with eco-friendly cellulose and fitted with triple glazing. 

With its roof-integrated solar and photovoltaic system it is also almost entirely energy self-sufficient.

Cherry Blossom House
Cherry Blossom House

The Cherry Blossom House has officially been awarded the prestigious prize for the 2014 Beispielhaftes Bauen (Exemplary Design) Award by the Architectural Chamber of Baden Württemberg.

In 2015 it was awarded Most Eco-Friendly Single Dwelling at BUILD Magazine’s 2015 Architecture.

Cherry Blossom House