Twelve Years, One House: SOMAA Reworks a 1961 German Home

A family home in Ludwigsburg, Germany, took 12 years to reach its final form — and its architects say that's the point. Stuttgart-based SOMAA Architektur & Innenarchitektur worked with the owners continuously between 2013 and 2026, slowly reworking a 1961 house into what they call House in Process.

The project houses a family of four plus an independent apartment. Rather than demolish and rebuild, the architects chose, in their words, not to blindly 'replace the 1961 structure, but reread it'.

How do you 'reread' a 1961 house?

The answer starts at the envelope. SOMAA wrapped the existing structure in a ventilated skin of charred timber, built on Japanese principles. 'This surface follows the logic of yakisugi: fire is understood not as destruction, but as protection, depth and the ability to age,' the team explains.

Against that blackened shell, gold-anodised window reveals and a brass front door read as precise accents rather than decoration. Inside, the palette flips to light tones: naturally coloured wood, refurbished white plaster walls and original parquet flooring.

Function drove the plan. Rooms and household operations were cut out and redefined around the family's daily routines — a layout shaped by how the four residents actually live, not by a fixed program set on day one.

What happened when the roof had to go?

The ageing roof needed a full replacement, and the team treated that necessity as an opening. They added a loft extension, wrapped entirely in timber — warm and inviting, but also refreshingly minimalist. Studio founder Hadi A Tandawardaja's motto guided it: 'Reduction is not renunciation, but the conscious focus on what truly matters.'

What does the energy retrofit include?

To meet contemporary sustainability standards and Germany's requirements for new buildings, SOMAA ran a full energy assessment and retrofit. The package includes:

• wood-fibre insulation
• an insulated pitched roof
• triple glazing
• an air-to-water heat pump
• an in-roof photovoltaic system

Together, these support passive temperature control strategies and cover the home's operational energy needs — bringing a 1960s structure up to current German new-build requirements without starting from scratch.

The outdoors got equal attention. Gardens and decks were curated to bring green space into the family's everyday life, and a natural pool was added later — the final piece in a set of al fresco living areas that function as part of the house when the weather allows.

Why 12 years instead of one contract?

The architects stress that this was not a 'linear renovation story'. The close relationship with the clients, plus the luxury of time, let all parties craft a different, slow type of architecture — one that anticipated not just the family's current needs but their future ones, building flexibility into the plan.

Their closing statement makes the argument plainly: 'The project shows that architecture does not only emerge through the design of a new object, but through the precise continuation of what is already there. A house can grow over years without becoming arbitrary. It can absorb layers without losing its legibility. And in the end, it can appear not as an addition, but as a house that has found its own way.'

House in Process stands as a working model for that approach — evidence that incremental adaptation, spread over more than a decade, can deliver a home that meets 2026 energy standards while keeping its 1961 bones legible.