Pool Leber Architekten has used cross-laminated timber to add a bright and spacious new loft to a 1980s housing block in Munich.
The project, called R11, was not as straightforward as it looks. The four-storey, concrete-framed building was not previously strong enough to take on the load of an extra floor, as a result of weak foundations.

Pool Leber got around this with a design that involved removing the old upper floor, including its reinforced concrete structure, and replacing it with two new storeys that are significantly lighter in weight.
The new structure is made from cross-laminated timber ? an engineered wood that can offer just as much strength as steel or concrete.

The two new storeys are designed to be flexible. Right now they are divided up into three homes ? one standard two bedroom residence, and a pair of adjoining apartments that both have access to a more characterful loft space on the level above. It would also be possible to split the two adjoining flats into separate units. Equally, it would be easy to transform the upper level into another home, bringing the total number of units up to four.

The loft level is topped by a mezzanine gallery that takes advantage of the steeply sloping roof.
"The interior space is designed as a flowing sculpture, binding all functions together in a series of interlocking interior and exterior spaces," explained the firm, which is led by architects Martin Pool and Isabella Leber.
"The apparent dynamic an...