In the eye of the beholder

For Hans Panschar, 'simple architecture' is not a straightforward adventure. Writer Katja Sebald and photographer Stefan Nimmesgern visited the artist in his house in Berg for SeeMagazin. An excerpt:

The house, which Hans Panschar has lived in with his family for two years, could at first glance be mistaken for a barn. A second look still gives the impression of a shabby utility building. On close inspection, however, its restrained beauty reveals itself, and its architecture, which is as clever as it is unusual, can only be truly appreciated from the inside.

The inspiration for the unconventional exterior was a small sculpture of a house that happened to be on the table when architect Florian Nagler first visited Panschar's studio: an asymmetrical white substructure, interwoven with a wooden structure in such a way that a high, narrow window reaching over both floors is located between them.

Objects - ships, chairs, houses, cities - made of carved wooden forms with a complementary concrete mould are typical of Panschar's artistic work. They present an attractive contrast between the cool concrete and the carefully worked wooden surface.

Munich-based architect Florian Nagler - awarded, among other things, for the innovative residential development at Dantebad - was inspired to design a studio house, which he tailor-made for the artist. He combined concrete, brick and wood to create an unpretentious building with room to live and work. The house follows the principles of 'simple construction' propagated by Nagler; it has no basement, for instance, and lacks extravagant furnishings and fittings.

Read the full story about Panschar and his unique house in SeeMagazin 2019.