Villa M

On the western edge of Berlin, the sculpted Villa M is gracefully out of place in the neighborhood. Designed by Graft Architects, this modern home represents a new generation of urban villas in which the design language blends esthetics and living comfort to create a unique architectural structure reminiscent, in this case, of the erratic boulders one might see in a mighty glacial landscape. This effect of standing in front of a natural stone sculpture is reinforced by the use of ceramic slabs to line the exterior, but it is simultaneously undermined by the horizontal carvings on the façade that make room for balconies and large windows, leaving the viewer with a clear sense of being in the presence of an architectural work. The placement of windows was deliberate to provide as much privacy as possible without disrupting visual connections to the surrounding greenery, which was landscaped by Kretschmer Tauscher Landschaftsarchitekten. The use of transitions is fluid both indoors and outdoors, breaking with the convention for residential design. 
Every detail of the composition is skillfully highlighted through the use of light, which is where BEGA luminaires come into their own. The approach to the house is guided by the use of light, with drive-over 77069 LED on-ground luminaires along the driveway providing understated lighting that is highly effective for orientation. Such use of light is reinforced by the foot traffic-resistant 84084 LED in-ground luminaires and the 33108 LED recessed luminaires along the walls, both solutions that add lighting symmetry and open up spaces even at night. This theme of unobtrusive lighting that adds stylishly to the villa is evident in the shielded 77237 LED bollards that accent the patio area and garden. BEGA luminaires are essential in transforming this architectural structure into a work of art, using reflections and reverberations to highlight corners and edges. And this is crucial to successfully strip away the classical rules of a villa and transport them into a new architectural synthesis. 
 

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Villa M

© Mark Wohlrab, courtesy of Bega

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