261 Architecture Studio „Tönnishof“
Architecture Studio „Tönnishof“
Dortmund, Germany
Construction period: 2001 - 2003
Design: Eckhard Gerber
Project director/Project manager: Eckhard Gerber
Project team: Hans Christoph Bittner, Andrea Stahl, Stefan Lemke et al.
Client: Anngrit und Eckhard Gerber GbR
Gross area: 1.816 m²
Volume: 5.650 m³
The listed stables and barns of the Tönnishof had been left to rot for over twenty years before being restored, renovated and converted into an architecture studio. The building formerly made up the eastern flank of the then four times larger courtyard and stable complex that was connected to the villa of the Tönnis family.
First of all in 1978 Professor Gerber purchased only the villa, which he then had restored and converted into his architecture studio and residence. In 1985 a modern addition was added to the villa. The restoration of the stables consolidated the remaining fragments, thereby ensuring the future protection of all the remaining structures on the Tönnishof complex.
The stable was totally gutted and the exterior walls, with their ornamental brick façade, were preserved and restored to their original condition. A large new window in the southern gable façade ensures adequate lighting of the upper floors. All windows, as well as the frameless glazed former door opening, appear only as glass surfaces toward the exterior. Inside the original brickwork is stabilized by new ceilings supported by beams of reinforced concrete, which enabled the construction of three storeys of office space with a total area of 1,250 m².
The pitched roof was rebuilt in its original form and covered with red tiles. The metal edging on the eaves and the gable boards correspond to the original appearance. Additional glazing in the ridge was added as well.
A new slick cubic structure was constructed onto the damaged area, where the former traverse wing was once connected to the stable, in which the entrance and stairway are located. As an architectural object of concrete, glass and metal, it creates a distinct contrast to the original structure, stressing the captivating atmosphere that unites the traditional with the contemporary.
